Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Enid floated in the dark and the empty. Before her lay a sight only one other human had ever personally been witness to. The sight of the Milky Way galaxy from beyond the galaxy’s edge.

The stars shone bright and warm before her, the only home humanity had ever known.

Enid hung in a dome of transparent material on the edge of a dark space ship. When she had first seen it she had thought it truly dark but as she turned to the other side of the dome, slowly twisting in space, she was confronted with true darkness.

An endless expanse of emptiness, darkness more complete and absolute than any she had ever conceived. No stars, no light, nothing.

A year ago, the thought of the galaxy’s edge had given Enid a feeling of creeping horror. Something distant and scary but not something she would ever be confronted with.

Now? The dark no longer disturbed her.

‘Enid?’ a voice called through the open hatch to the rest of the ship “below” her. Enid finished twisting slowly to see her girlfriend looking up to her from below.

Girlfriend, lover, fiancée ...

Wednesday Addams, the only other human to have seen this impossible view, was approaching.

‘I’m done with my work. Do you want the gravity back on?’

‘No, I’m good to float a while longer’ Enid grinned as Wednesday floated up and gently collided with her. Wednesday offered a brief embrace before backing up. Today was looking like a low-contact day.

But that didn’t keep Enid from staring into Wednesday’s eyes.

Speaking of staring into the dark...

Wednesday Addams wore a perpetually black wardrobe, normally a simple jumpsuit although expertly tailored to her petite frame. But her personality carried a size her body did not. Serious eyes that could pierce you like a knife or bury you in an avalanche of ice.

Or could melt and fill you with warmth.

The two girls floated for a moment more, Wednesday looking up to the galaxy “above” her like it had personally offended her.

Enid examined that expression with some concern, because Wednesday had a habit of lashing out at those who wronged her disproportionately.

‘How did the experiments go?’ Enid prompted.

‘Fine’ Wednesday answered tiredly, lacing her fingers with Enid’s hand without looking at her. The action was smooth and confident, despite the lack of sight, because for the past three months Wednesday hadn’t needed her eyes to see Enid at all.

But sometimes she still communicated like a magic-eight ball.

‘And...’ Enid prompted grinning as she used the connection to pull herself closer to Wednesday and give an affectionate bump with her head.

‘I’m capable of commanding the drones in more complex manoeuvres’ Wednesday admitted bitingly, gently pushing Enid away without letting go of her. ‘But I can’t seem to coordinate them effectively in zero-gravity yet. Because they do not have a personal understanding of zero-g or coordinating under it.’

Enid gave a non-commital hmm and let the matter drop.

The drones Wednesday referred to were not robotic in nature, but alien life forms that had imprinted on her. Enid had tried to get Wednesday to recognise them as something more than tools but her girlfriend seemed adamant about maintaining an emotional distance with them.

Although in fairness, Wednesday maintained that distance with almost everyone they had ever met, human or not.

The matter dropped, the pair enjoyed a quiet moment, appreciating the view. Enid knew Wednesday enjoyed staring at the dark even more than she did. Something about it really seemed to speak to her.

But after a while Enid broke the silence. It had just gone on too long.

‘Still no communications?’

When Enid turned to Wednesday’s face there the faintest flicker of a smile.

‘Still nothing. There are no relay stations to request messages be redirected. They’re all pointed where we once were. But don’t worry my love, we’ll be returning to the connected areas soon.’

Enid tried not to feel like Wednesday was subtly mocking her. It wasn’t just that Enid wanted an update on the state of a few celebrities. Her first month in space had impressed upon her the limitations it imposed on the opportunity to gossip. But there were actual important things they needed information on.

Wednesday was confusingly wanted by the United Worlds Security Authority, both for brokering peace with an unknown alien species but also because she had accidentally, maybe, committed a few war-crimes rescuing Enid.

Enid’s own parents were being pressured by a corporation that had probably inserted illegal augmentation technology in Enid. And last Enid had heard from them before they left the galactic fringe, her father had caught an infection.

The Crackstone corporation which had been dogging Enid’s steps for the past year had not made any obvious moves after the bounty hunters but Enid had friends trying to investigate it. And though that friend had apparently joined a shadowy secret society they had still been trying to feed Enid information on that.

There were so many things that Enid could really use an update on.

Then Wednesday cupped Enid’s cheek with her palm and the spinning in Enid’s head calmed a little.

‘It’ll be alright mi solcito,’ Wednesday whispered, and like always, Enid believed her.

‘Assuming we survive re-entry’ Enid grimaced.

And Wednesday broke out into one of her rare beautiful smiles.

After their recent brush with bounty hunters, Wednesday and Enid had needed to take drastic measures to avoid repeat encounters. For which they had gone beyond the galactic edge.

It was common knowledge that for faster-than-light jumps, there was a “goldilocks” zone around stellar bodies that you wanted to exit and re-enter from. The presence of mass had stabilising effects on the exit and entry angles and the distance travelled, which at the scale of the distances a single jump took you, was extremely important.

You didn’t leave material space, not really, so any impacts en-route would be catastrophic. Tiny particles could be shielded against. A planet could not.

It also meant that if you found yourself somewhere with no large stellar bodies nearby, say between stars, getting back into the regularly used transport space was a gambling nightmare that usually ended with everyone involved dead.

Wednesday had actually been looking forward to that part but since leaving the galaxy had been perplexingly disappointed. This far out their variation should have been in the order of light-years and their angle should have been fluctuating by whole degrees with every jump.

And yet, their ship had come out within five hundred kilometres of their prediction every time.

Wednesday and Thing, her ship’s computer, were going over their navigation charts one more time, seeing if they could have miscalculated, but no. Their ship, for whatever reason, was launching and re-entering as though they had been in the goldilocks zone of a star about three-tenths the size of Earth’s Sol star the whole time.

It would have been a boon if it were not so confusing.

‘Thing,’ Wednesday spoke, addressing the empty room. ‘Do you remember when we first took over this vessel?’

The ship had not always been the form in which Thing had developed. He had once had a much more restrictive form back on Earth, raised in her family’s estate. When she left for space and he had come with her, he had uploaded himself into the ship systems and in every way that mattered become the ship itself.

Ping he answered. The ping was a positive confirmation. Thing did not use any human language when he could avoid it.

‘Do you remember how we had to recalibrate from what the reported capacities were?’

Ping. Long-scrape

‘We thought the reports were incorrect, or that one of the modifications we made was responsible.’

Worble.

The chassis in which Thing now found himself had once been a terraforming array, capable of entering a system and redirecting the power of the sun to alter planets over time. Not a full terraforming station but the ability to handle large amounts of energy had been something Wednesday thought was worth keeping. After all, what melted a dead planet’s crust could do as much to a living one.

Thing drew up his own schematics and put them on screen in front of Wednesday. The pair of them were both familiar with them. After all, there was no part of him that did not need the occasional maintenance and Wednesday had investigated everything herself at least a hundred times.

There was nothing that explained this. Not in any known science.

Wednesday did not appreciate anything that stepped outside that.

Roulette table spinning

‘I don’t put a dozen disgustingly successful jumps down to luck’ Wednesday spat with venom.

Plate smashing.

Thing had conceded the point.

‘In two days we’re re-entering the galaxy’ Wednesday sighed. ‘There can be no mistakes.’

She didn’t really mind dying in some suitably explosive space accident. Death was an old friend and fear of it made people stupid. But she was responsible for more than her own life right now. If things went wrong, Thing and Enid could die with her.

And that was just unacceptable.

Chapter Text

Wednesday sat on the bridge, watching the fore-screen as it showed the stars of the Milky Way galaxy spinning into view. Thing had jauntily put a marker in the galactic spur they were swinging towards, marking the Sol system. Given that it was hidden in a mass of other stars Wednesday did not know how accurate it was but it showed how relatively close to home they were.

How long had it been since she saw her family? Not as videos sent in data packages with days or weeks of delay, but sat and spoke with them in the same room? Three years? Her mother had somehow arranged the family vacation on a Uranus outpost where Wednesday was making a pick up.

Enid thought Wednesday was a psychic of some flavour, which Wednesday was coming around on, but her mother had at least an equal measure of predictive flair. Or base manipulation.

Probably bribery too.

The Addams had always had more money than sense. And they were quite sensible, at least to Wednesday’s mind.

Enid was on the bridge too, nervously bouncing her leg. In the interest of honesty Wednesday had explained all the risks their current re-entry posed and how she was mitigating what she could.

Enid’s faith in good outcomes sometimes bordered on the blissfully ignorant, but her faith in Wednesday had proved faulty only a rare few times. They could only hope this was not one of those times.

Triangle, flutes tick tick tick.

‘I’m good Thing’ Enid grinned glancing at the ceiling. The blonde girl had added blue and pink streaks to her hair in a rare use of her limited hair dye. For luck she said. Wednesday did not like to rely on such but she would not deny the girl her vices today.

They could use any luck available.

Their jump target was one of the stars in the southern periphery of the galaxy, an edge star. They could have shot deeper but the calculations would be more stable once they were near that star. Or at least should be.

Their stability until this point would not lull Wednesday into a false sense of security. She would stack the deck with every advantage available.

Thing fired some positioning thrusters, bringing their spin to a slow and then a seeming stop. On screens by Wednesday’s elbow, calculations started streaming. Confirming their position by the stars in a way humans had done since before they started moving through them.

Finally, things lit up green across the board.

‘Ready?’ Wednesday asked.

Enid looked at the galaxy on screen before standing up. In a burst of speed she ran over to Wednesday and gave the captain a tight hug. Before Wednesday could formulate any response other than sitting frozen the other girl was back in her chair and giving a steady nod.

‘Ready.’

Ping, cloth-snap.

Well, if everyone was ready.

‘Initiate the launch’ Wednesday gestured. The screens showing the stars outside fell to black as the ship thrummed beneath them. Wednesday felt the shift to faster-than-light as something akin to the floor falling out beneath her. Others had different reactions. On stable ships, they might feel nothing. Others felt the energy of the FTL drives discharging around them until they arrived.

All of it was minor enough that you could get up and wander around comfortably for the entire duration of the jump.

Not so for Wednesday and Enid this time.

They sat rigidly still for minutes, as time ticked by on a small clock that Thing had put up on screen for them. Their jump should last, for them, a soft eight minutes and seventeen seconds.

For that entire duration they held their breath, because the closer they got to the galaxy the more likely they encountered something with the mass to throw them off from the projections or destroy their ship in an impossibly powerful collision.

08:00:0124 They had almost made it.

08:04:9576 They would be approaching the star.

08:11:2438 Was time slowing down?

08:15:6318 Wednesday turned her eyes to meet Enid’s, the two of them staring at each other as the universe rushed towards them.

Wednesday felt stability return around them as the screens flickered to show them facing a cluster of stars, very similar to before they had jumped. Her brain quickly scanned them, comparing it to the before and triangulating the astronomical distances until, on one of Enid’s screens, Thing showed their position relative to their target star.

Stupid machine showing off he was faster than her.

‘A perfect landing’ Enid giggled, the tension flowing out of her. She turned to look at Wednesday and tilted her head to the side. ‘You’re amazing.’

‘I know’ Wednesday preened.

Overhead Thing gave a disconsolate whine.

‘You too Thing’ Enid grinned, patting the console behind her.

Wednesday pushed down on the strange feeling of jealousy that rose in her even as Thing preened. She had never used to be so affected by the opinions of others but Enid was special.

‘How soon before we can make our next jump?’ Wednesday asked. Thing displayed the number in hours at her side. The charge time required could be anything between twenty minutes and three days depending on distance. For the next jump Wednesday had planned out they were launching in seventeen hours.

‘Why the rush?’ Enid perked up, apparently detecting some eagerness to Wednesday. The girl always seemed to notice more than she should and now was no longer distracted by their impending deaths.

‘After our next jump, we should be in range of a perimeter comms array’ Wednesday answered. ‘We’ll be able to get an update on the galaxy and see what happened while our back was turned.’

Enid watched Wednesday work with a sort of lazy comfortableness. After the last jump the two of them had had a simple dinner and gone to bed. The past day Wednesday had been hiding her nervousness about the blind jump but all that stress had Wednesday collapsing into unconsciousness as soon as the danger was passed.

Wednesday never seemed to realise how hard she pushed herself, so Enid had taken it on herself to make sure that Wednesday took some time to relax.

And sometimes that meant a morning spent cuddling in bed with sweet kisses. The after effects of which Enid was still feeling. And she knew Wednesday was too even if the captain put on her serious mask.

‘You’re smirking’ Wednesday grumbled, shooting Enid a dark look.

‘Love you too’ Enid grinned, watching the miniscule change in colour that graced Wednesday’s cheeks.

Love you too Enid heard in her head.

Since Wednesday had started being able to project out her thoughts for Enid to hear, it seemed like Wednesday was more comfortable saying things that way. Grand gestures and whispered words were still very much a part of their love language but this sort of blunt declarations of feelings?

Wednesday was definitely more comfortable saying those words when she didn’t actually have to say them. But she said it aloud often enough.

The two of them were in hydroponics, Wednesday mixing a mineral broth together to feed the plants that gave them fresh produce on their long journey. The room was filled with the aroma of the plants but cut with the pheromones of their “pets.”

Enid tried to think of them affectionately but they were still some of the ugliest creatures to ever grace creation.

In the back of the room was a small mass of organic foam that had hardened into a shell. Within that foam were the unhatched eggs of an alien hive that saw Wednesday as it’s commander. Wednesday had outright rejected every attempt by Enid to call her the queen.

As Wednesday finished preparing the mixture and pouring it into a modified decanter, one of the horrifying bugs crawled out.

This one was an “egg-tender” as Enid had roughly taken to naming them. It looked like a raised horseshoe crab, minus the long tail and scuttled around with a sort of staccato clacking.

On it’s shell back was a crudely drawn six which Enid had placed there. Wednesday insisted there was no need to differentiate them but Enid thought otherwise. Still, it was a bit odd that it ran out and stood by Wednesday waiting to carry the jug she had just prepared.

‘You didn’t call for it did you?’ Enid checked as Wednesday turned and fixed the jug to the creature’s back. Enid could feel when either the arthropods or Wednesday sent a message. Even understand better than Wednesday could. Which spoke poorly to how “human” Enid remained.

‘No’ Wednesday answered, sealing the boxes of prepared minerals as the alien bug ran off. ‘They have learned how long it takes me to prepare the minerals and one of them normally exits when ready.’

‘Hmm...’ Enid nodded as the creature started climbing the hydroponic tanks and dipping a claw in the water. That didn’t feel sanitary but... ‘What’s it doing?’

‘The egg-tending arthropods have highly developed sensory organs for chemical analysis. Once I taught them what the right blend was it was easy enough to have them take on that work.’

That “easy” work was something Enid had never quite grasped so she just shot the bug a jealous look and shuffled closer to Wednesday. The bug had grabbed a little spigot from the front of it’s jar and was pouring some of the mineral concoction into the water tank.

In built chemical analysis? Useful, but was that really needed for something intended to take care of eggs? Maybe it was. They rubbed some sort of nutrient fluid on the surface so that was probably what it used to judge how much was needed.

As Wednesday cleaned up Enid examined the plants in the room. They were actually doing really well. When Wednesday first picked her up from deep space in an escape-pod going nowhere, there had been a relatively small crop for the relatively small crew (of one).

When Wednesday had decided to keep Enid around, she had expanded the number of hydroponics in use and now they had expanded again. And the plants looked great. Thick leaves and strong stems, with not a hint of rot or wither. It seemed like everything was getting exactly what it needed.

And their farm was mostly tended by alien creatures that had never encountered these plants before.

But... they were terraformers. So they had a bit of a green thumb. Or whatever their fingers were called.

This small hive was a break off group from a larger hive in the cargo hold, who had requested transport to earth either as diplomats or... well hopefully as diplomats.

As individuals, they weren’t that smart but there was a hive intelligence when enough of them gathered and the individuals could communicate. Enid actually had a far easier time intuiting their meaning than Wednesday, who brought Enid along if she needed a translator.

Enid grabbed the last crate of mineral crystals that were added into the hydroponic systems. From the looks of it, they were running low. A few more months at most. It was a good thing that they should be back in civilised space in mere days, and Earth in a couple weeks at most.

‘Thing’ Enid asked as she slipped the crate into it’s holding closet and latched the door. ‘What will you do while we’re on Earth? Borrow a drone again?’

Thing made a series of tapping noises like fingers running across a desk.

‘He’ll borrow a drone on the family estate if he doesn’t come down fully. But I imagine he’ll probably download fully.’

Enid blinked.

‘Is that safe?’ Enid’s understanding of AIs were that they were very tied to the systems they inhabited. Even a temporary transfer to a storage medium or movement between identical bodies could have traumatic consequences.

‘Thing is hardly a typical AI. He will be fine’ Wednesday answered with predictable confidence.

Enid shrugged as Wednesday started leading her from the room.

‘Now, we’re about due for our next jump. Keep me company?’

Enid didn’t even bother to answer, only keeping from skipping along because it would jar Wednesday’s arm.

Chapter Text

The space they jumped into was on the periphery of an F-class star, slightly brighter and warmer than the earth’s sun. Enid knew it was called Sol but to her it had always been the sun. This one was a very stable star but there weren’t many planets around it, the mass either flung away or drawn deeper into the galaxy.

The only permanent installation near it was a decrepit looking space station, solar panels dangling off and twisting occasionally where they weren’t shattered by some passing particulate.

Enid peered at it looking confusedly at whatever this thing was. It looked almost like it had been made of wood? Or maybe scrap? The parts forming the exterior did not seem like they could possibly form an airtight shell but the layout was like an old habitation station. Two rings remained with connecting lines between them.

A few of those connector corridors looked to have ruptured, but no crystallised atmosphere had built up around the edges. That suggested there had not been any air inside when it was broken.

‘So what is that thing?’ Enid asked as Wednesday typed away at her keyboard.

‘Old family hideout’ Wednesday answered, not bothering to look up. Which made sense with their being basically nothing else in system the question could have referred to. ‘About three hundred years ago we moved an old outlook station here to serve as a place to hide if one of us needed to lay low for a while. Accidental planetary destabilisation, murder, bank robbery... you get the idea.’

Enid did, which probably meant she had spent far too long with the captain.

‘Is that why we’re here? Are you going to hide there until the UWSA stops looking for you?’ Enid didn’t see that happening because Wednesday would have told her something but... she had been surprised before.

‘No’ Wednesday shook her head. ‘Just a convenient place to message home from. Any messages sent to us over the past few months will have been directed in the vague direction of where we were. They’re lost. But I can ask that they be re-sent here before we go in.’

‘By your family or the system? Because one gives us away but the other means I probably don’t get any of my family mail.’

Enid had quite forgotten to tell her family they were going off grid for months so her family had no way of knowing if she was dead or alive, and that thought had her stressing out for months. She had about two hundred messages she desperately wanted to send out but if they were still needing to sneak around...

‘If they tried to make use of my family’s system then they will have copies on hand’ Wednesday stated with disinterest, hitting send on whatever it was she had been working on.

The mysterious Addams system was something Enid had not asked Wednesday about, not because she thought Wednesday would hide it from her but because Enid strongly suspected she would have no idea what Wednesday’s reply meant. All she knew was that it was even faster than other FTL communications and she hadn’t heard about it.

‘Fine then... should I send my messages though?’

Wednesday looked pained as she considered.

‘Can it not wait until we are safely back at the house?’

Enid didn’t like it but the fact was three more days wouldn’t kill her family. So she relented.

‘It can wait. But what are we going to do until the next jump? Bearing in mind I am never playing chess with you again.’

Wednesday looked past Enid to the abandoned husk of a space station.

‘I suppose we could see if anyone has been through recently’ she answered.

Enid turned to look over her shoulder at the husk of peeling station which seemed to stay in place only due to the lack of outside forces.

‘Will we survive that?’

Wednesday offered a tiny smirk. ‘We have so far.’

Not as encouraging as Enid had hoped.

Wednesday stepped from the shuttle gently, only a little momentum carrying her towards the hatch leading to the disguised airlock of the hide-out. There was, intentionally, no way to connect a spaceship to this facility. It required a spacewalk and as Wednesday gently slid towards the tunnel Enid shot past quietly cursing over the radio as she tried to slow down.

‘Having difficulty with your strength mia luna?’ Wednesday asked as Enid tried to slow herself on the wall and spun as the force was transformed into angular momentum.

‘Just peachy’ Enid shot back as she bumped against the doorway and hooked arms around the crank-wheel. As she did, two camera arms shot out of the walls and started looking Enid over. When Enid realised the devices were there, she started waving her arm at them but they retracted beyond her reach.

Wednesday tapped her thrusters and came to a gentle stop as the jerky moving cameras finished their scan of Enid and withdrew. They had not even noticed Wednesday to scan.

‘Is there an AI out here?’ Enid gasped as she made space for Wednesday to clip on. Wednesday took an elastic cord from her suit and clipped to the door before nudging herself horizontally and revealing the hidden access panel.

‘No. The facility has the infrastructure to support one but putting one here would be a punishment. One that has thus far not been needed.’ Wednesday left off the known effects of isolation on artificial minds intended for frequent interaction. Such things were not in Enid’s interest. ‘There was a mind here during construction and repositioning but they were extracted and a caretaker system installed.’

One of minimal capacity.

Wednesday could feel Enid looking around as the door began cycling open. A little frost dusted the space around them as it was shaken off the door. Poor maintenance that. Perhaps a diagnostic check before they moved on. They would not stay long enough to do a repair sweep.

Inside the airlock the system did not even begin adjusting for their presence until Wednesday typed into the panel manually and air started pumping in. She got an odd feeling as the air ran over her suit but dismissed it. As soon as the pressure stabilised she opened the door but behind herself she heard a hiss.

‘Freakin’ b- that’s cold...’ Enid shivered. Momentary fear flickered in Wednesday’s gut.

‘Did you even check that the air was breathable first?!’

‘Chill’ Enid chuckled. ‘Of course I did. Oh-two balance is fine. Just really freaking cold.’

Enid shivered as Wednesday checked her own suit’s readings. Oxygen was about 19.6%. Just the right side of hypoxic but still low, not that Enid seemed to notice.

‘This place is running low-oxygen to hypoxic. If you do any exertion, you might...’

Enid grumbled as she pulled her helmet back on, clearly pouting at Wednesday.

‘Yes yes, careful careful. But why is it so cold in here?’

‘Because it’s not intended for people to be living here full time. It’s kept cold unless needed otherwise. You’re lucky there was oxygen.’

Wednesday gently launched herself away with a nudge of her toes, adjusting her trajectory with her palm. Even with atmosphere present there still was no gravity. The station was too old for that.

She felt more than heard Enid follow but she did hear Enid’s grumble over the radio.

‘I did check first.’

Wednesday did not respond but did tap her jets so that she slowed back down and Enid caught up. She still stayed in the lead though. She was the one who knew the layout of the facility. The journey from the airlock to the communications centre should be short and simple, and any recent visitors would have left their markers there. Her mind was already ahead when she felt Enid place a gloved hand on her shoulder and pull her to a sharp stop.

‘So this place is abandoned?’ Enid asked quietly over radio communications. A look at the radio in Wednesday’s hud showed Thing had been flagged by Enid to listen in.

‘Not abandoned but it’s use is infrequent. So I can understand the inference.’

‘Right, but there was no other ship in system’ Enid hissed.

Wednesday had grown used to Enid’s directness so her dancing around this question was annoying. Worse, Enid was not even looking at Wednesday but staring down a side corridor with her head lamp on.

Enid continued her hoarse whisper, ‘If that’s the case why are there footprints?’

Enid found a sort of haggard beauty to the abandoned space, no matter what Wednesday called it. The soft glitter of frost on the surfaces and the quiet dark corridors. Enid was no longer afraid of the dark and so she could appreciate the interplay of light and shadows where almost all was dark.

Which was why she noticed when there was an interruption in the frost. At first she had not understood what she was seeing, and then she had thought maybe it was innocent but...

There in the centre of her torch beam, a footprint. A large one.

Enormous really.

Wednesday was silent and Enid waited for an explanation. An old footprint, not yet faded? An oddity of the electrical system that reduced the frost in that area?

‘Hmm...’ Wednesday hummed.

‘Not reassuring’ Enid hissed, swinging her torch beam back down the path they’d come from. Her instinct said they’d approach from that direction and while she failed to find anyone, there was another four of those enormous footprints crossing the path they had just come down.

Prints that had definitely not been there before and that the two of them, floating, had definitely not made.

‘Wednesday?’ Enid whined, heart rate picking up. She was spooked, she could admit that much to herself. They had wandered in and there was someone or something waiting for them. And considering the sort of stuff the Addams seemed to have lying around that could only be dangerous.

‘Thinking mia loba’ Wednesday answered infuriating casually. ‘Have you sensed anything since we’ve been on board?’

‘No, but my senses are super muted in this helmet’ Enid grunted. ‘You?’

‘My senses are not so clear’ Wednesday answered, which was the closest to an admission of limitation as Enid was getting.

‘What do we do? Retreat?’ Enid knew the air outside was freezing but she still felt a cold snap as Wednesday rejected the idea.

‘This is my family home’ Wednesday said slowly. ‘My territory. We do not retreat, and we do not abandon. Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc’

There was an old cold fury in those words as Enid glanced at Wednesday. The other girl had drawn a pistol from somewhere. Enid wasn’t sure how as the space suit had no pockets that looked big enough for the weapon but she had long since abandoned questioning where Wednesday got her weapons from.

‘Is that ammo ship-safe?’ Enid asked, remembering their recent troubles with munitions on space-vessels.

‘Yes’ Wednesday answered quietly. Enid thought she was ashamed but a glance in Wednesday’s visor revealed her eyes were closed.

Whirr bzz bzz-err-err bzz

‘Thing has identified a single launch-pod on the far side of the facility’ Wednesday answered offhandedly before Enid could ask for the translation. Unfortunately that told her nothing because she had no idea what a “launch-pod” was. Before she could ask, Wednesday continued. ‘I can feel... something nearby but it’s slippery. It would be hard to use in a combat situation.’

Wednesday opened her eyes and looked to Enid.

‘Can I ask you a favour mia loba?’ she asked, batting those long eye lashes. It was not done intentionally but it still did things to Enid’s heart.

‘Anything my love’ Enid promised, taking the moment to grip Wednesday’s arm through the space suit.

‘Can you hunt the intruder for me?’

Enid hated how that sent a deep thrill up her spine. She was supposed to be the sweet good girl to Wednesday’s darkness, but when Wednesday involved her Enid found she had a bloodlust to share with her dark captain.

‘For you my dark star?’ Enid grinned. ‘Anytime’

Enid reached up and unclipped her helmet again. Immediately the cold shot in to cover her face. It really was freezing but shivering would definitely interfere with her cool points here so she just kept a big bloodthirsty grin on her face.

Releasing the helmet it started to spin gently in the air, rather than falling. Still no gravity but that wouldn’t matter much.

Stretching out Enid extended until her fingers just brushed the roof of the corridor. Then her feet touched the “ground.”

Braced like that, she inhaled.

Information flooded her even as a heady flow of energy slowly rolled up her spine. As her skull lit up she inhaled again.

Frost and steel. Old dry oils and peeling plastics. Dead skin. Sparks.

Her ears pricked up and she growled deep in her chest.

The vibrations travelled up her limbs into the metal and moments later she felt it in her skin.

Thump... thump... thump...

Slow and heavy, like a heartbeat only it was feet moving quickly. Circling to come up on them from... above?

Enid twisted and snarled in that direction. The sound echoing off into the station. She heard the footfalls come to a hesitant stop but she still knew roughly where they had gone.

‘I have them’ she told Wednesday. ‘Should I go make introductions?’

‘Are you yourself? Or is this the bloodmoon?’ Wednesday asked.

Bloodmoon. Enid’s curse, or rather an illegal, unknown, unregulated contaminant that someone had pumped into her bloodstream. It gave her mood swings, increased strength and heightened aggression. But right now,

‘This is all me baby’ Enid smirked, turning to look Wednesday in the eyes. Those eyes twinkled in response as Wednesday gave a little dip of a bow, somehow managing to make the gesture look elegant while floating in the air.

‘Then by all means, hunt.’

Something in Enid released as she immediately kicked away. She heard the other start moving again but they were large and slow as she shot through this new space. It was not a location she was familiar with. Unknown doors, unknown corridors, dark and cold.

But as her breath steamed from her lungs and trailed behind her she felt powerful.

She was strong, and with Wednesday behind her there was nothing she could not do.

Doing a flip from what, was to her, a ceiling she came down to the floor on all fours, looking up at the stranger.

They wore a strange protective suit. The most notable feature was the enormous head piece. A sphere of coppery reflective metal revealing nothing of the person within. Truthfully, a little spooky.

Enid’s eyes devoured the rest of the strange attire in a tactical assessment. Ungainly gloved hands and booted feet, magnetised to stick to floor and walls. The material of the suit was so bulky, grey plastic sheets, that it had to be armoured. It would probably need a fair amount of small arms fire to punch through that. And an enormous back pack that probably contained a lot more than just a life support system.

Heavy defensive capabilities and unknown offensive capabilities?

Enid grinned, her fingers gripping unconsciously and crumpling the floorplate under her hands, providing her an excellent launch point for when she pounced.

‘Try me’ she growled.

Chapter Text

Wednesday stayed where she was, patiently waiting. She could feel the moment Enid encountered the other mind, and that let her get something like insight into it.

A “normal” mind was something like a wiffleball. Rigid portions surrounding a hollow core with spaces through which perception passed. Enid’s mind was something akin to a ball of phase-shifting material, sometimes solid and sometimes fluid. When Enid was at risk of losing herself she almost evaporated into a gas that would almost certainly blow apart. Right now Enid was stable though.

What interested Wednesday was this new mind. It was muted. Dusty with age. And yet seemed nothing so much as a collection of sparks firing wildly in all directions at once, constantly on the verge of blowing itself apart and yet oddly stable.

Interesting. Almost amusingly familiar. Perhaps they had over worried and it was merely an Addams hiding out.

Even so, she did not call Enid off. This strange mind had not deigned to introduce themselves. Rude. And rudeness called for punishment. A light mauling should make sure they respected her in future.

And if they had not known it was Wednesday?

Well it wasn’t like Enid would do any permanent harm.

Wednesday felt the collision of the two and heard the echo of their collision reach her a heartbeat later. Unfortunately, her grasp on their minds did nothing for her perception of how the battle was going.

With a tap of her thrusters she floated to a wall and hooked herself in, hiding herself behind some conduits and closing her eyes.

Over the past few months she had practiced dropping into the mental state that extended her perceptions out. It was still damnably unscientific, the same actions not producing the same results each time but this time it worked in her favour.

She fell into the trance easily and started building out her perception of the station. She knew the layout as though a map but her mind filled in details she could not possibly have known. Dangling wires and floating parts.

At first it was only the space immediately around herself, things she might reasonably have known but in moments it expanded out. Tracing along the corridors Enid had run along.

Details were low but she passed over a tripwire she was sure Enid must have missed. There was a trace of recent intent on it. Recently crafted? How did she know that?

Wednesday hated that this perception was so... lacking in evidence or causal chains for what it gave her. The tripwire was traditional of Addams, it could have been placed there a century ago or a minute. There was nothing about it that gave a clue as to it’s provenance.

Focusing on it she dialled in until she could see what it connected to. If what she saw was even real and not her mind hallucinating.

Trailing along the wire she followed it through a gap to a trigger mechanism tied into... a bundle of dynamite?

On a space station?!

Wednesday’s mind curled back to just beyond her hiding place, where Enid’s space-suit helmet floated.

Wednesday’s heartrate ticked up a notch.

Enid was getting frustrated. She was stronger!

Pouncing punch off the target’s left-hand “wall”

She was faster!

Transition to round kick at the base of skull, blocked by back-unit

And she was definitely more skilled than this flailing attacker, but he was so damned tough!

Every time she got a solid hit in it just sent him floating. Which probably was normal in space combat and why people normally used guns. But it was super frustrating when she was trying to wrap this up quickly. Which was hampered by the fact she wasn’t trying to permanently maim whoever this person was.

She just needed to immobilise him. She was strong enough that if she got him in a grapple he would never escape. But he was so damned bulky she could not get him into any of her preferred holds. Every time she got an arm around his wrist she could not grab the other one to pull over and he would slither out like an eel.

Was this an Addams monster? A bounty hunter? Some of the Addams looked weird but she didn’t think any of them would fit this space-suit. Assuming it was a space suit and not some weird defence drone.

In her dithering the space suit managed to knock Enid back, open palm slapping against her chest.

Enid felt the push but a moment later she felt something much worse.

Electricity!

Her suit gave warning whines even as her chest seized up. Not fully. Her suit was insulated and she was resilient enough in her augments, also lacking any sub-dermal devices to go haywire, that she wasn’t too worried. But still...

Ow!

Enid patted her chest, just to make sure it wasn’t fully seized up. Smoke and charred bits of suit floated into the air at that impact. That had been stupid of her. Just because she hadn’t seen any weapons, didn’t mean there weren’t any. Just look at Wednesday!

Enid looked up at that completely unreadable dome that shielded her enemy’s head. She had tried punching through it but the thing was more durable than might be expected. Well, given it was probably intended to handle in-space collisions maybe that was to be expected.

‘Don’t suppose you feel like surrendering?’ Enid asked.

In response the suit dropped into stance. Actually, Enid tilted her head as she grabbed a wall to steady herself. Was that a shaolin stance? Who did that? Would someone design a robot to do that? That was only even working because the boots were magnetically gripping the floor!

Enid blinked and then shyly clicked on her own magnetic boots, swinging them down to the floor she clunked over to the middle of the corridor and dropped into her own favoured stance.

The suit did not move at all. Unless... there was a movement inside the suit that wasn’t conveyed outwards?

‘So... are you gonna talk now or..?’ Enid probed again. In fairness, she had attacked first, but as a counterpoint, whoever this was was being super creepy.

Out of nowhere Wednesday appeared, clinging to the stranger’s back device and with a blade pointed at the seam between helmet and suit.

‘Oh he’ll talk’ Wednesday answered over the microphone, tip of the knife catching in the suit. ‘Won’t you uncle Fester.’

‘And so the student becomes the master’ a jovial voice emanated out of the shiny metal dome.

-

I keep forgetting how weird this family is Enid repeated inside her head as Fester was tossed, trussed up in a full roll of duct tape, into Thing’s airlock. Wednesday had kept Fester still long enough for Enid to tie him up, then established a manual uplink to Thing before storming back to spacewalk all three of them back.

‘Why are you so upset?’ Enid whispered over a direct communication to Wednesday.

There was a pause as Wednesday was typing on Thing’s keypad and the airlock sealed, long enough Enid thought Wednesday might just not respond but eventually the answer came.

‘He set up dynamite when you were without your helmet. It’s not his fault but... I am... moody.’

Aww...

‘Wait?! Dynamite?!’

Wednesday didn’t even bother answering to that.

I keep forgetting how weird this family is.

‘And you’ Wednesday snapped over microphone as gravity gripped the three of them down to the floor. ‘Why are you still tied up?’

‘This suit is vintage’ Fester whined from where he lay. ‘I’m not blowing it up.’

Wednesday rolled her eyes and placed a hand to the temple of her suit. Enid felt a weird pulse as Wednesday directed a thought into the ship but was cut off from asking what that was about when Thing interrupted them. With atmosphere back he was addressing Fester, greeting him with an excited string of trills and whistles.

Fester, somehow, responded in the same. Enid was mostly sure he was human, he had certainly looked that way in the videos she had seen of him, but those were very convincing robot sounds.

‘That suit isn’t vintage Uncle Fester’ Wednesday cut in, almost affectionately. ‘It’s antique. They stopped making parts for it four hundred years ago.’

‘Really? That’s a shame’ the unseen man answered cheerfully. His words and his tone seemed at total odds and Enid could easily picture him smiling under the helmet. The Addams would probably enjoy using something that had to be on the near edge of total failure. Still as he, Wednesday and Thing continued to exchange barbs and affectionate bats, she started to feel a little left out.

These three were family. They knew each other. She was still an outsider to what they had.

‘By the way, my little protégé,’ Fester interrupted their verbal sparring. ‘I like this one you’ve found. She hits hard.’

Enid grinned even as she offered the trussed up captive a playful curtsey.

‘Indeed’ Wednesday answered, turning her head to give Enid a small, playful smile. ‘She is passing skilled at violence.’

‘Passing?!’ Enid huffed, in mock indignation. Thing above gave her a supportive harrumph.

‘Ooh...’ Fester hummed from the floor. ‘Thing... I think Wednesday likes her.’

All three crew members of the Thing Addams took a moment of silence. They had met other people who asked about Wednesday and Enid’s relationship before, but this was the first of the family since the two had got engaged. Enid shot Wednesday a questioning look, to which she got a deferring head tilt.

Was she comfortable with it?

Enid gave a quick nod.

Wednesday still had a look of momentary confusion though, and gestured Enid back briefly. She stepped over to her uncle who was now lying on the deck, as gravity held him on his back.

‘Uncle Fester’ Wednesday asked calmly. ‘When was the last time you checked in with my father and mother?’

‘Oh about... six months ago? Or maybe a year? You know how I lose track out here.’

Enid tilted her head even as Wednesday pulled her helmet off as the atmosphere around them stabilised. The airlock door started opening automatically and crawling in came a quintet of the alien bugs under Wednesday’s control.

‘Uncle Fester,’ Wednesday offered him a smug grin. ‘Allow me to introduce my fiancé, Enid Sinclair, and our pets. Numbers three, four, six, eight and Nero.’

‘Nero?’ Enid perked up. ‘You named one?’

‘No, I named number five’ Wednesday answered with sass.

Enid would have responded but the five bugs had scrambled into the hold and appeared to be lifting Fester onto their back.

‘Ooh hoo hoo’ Fester giggled as they jostled him. ‘Where oh where did you pick these up? Wait, you’re engaged?!’

‘It’s a long story Mr Fester’ Enid answered, trying not to stumble over that name. She had originally thought Wednesday was a code name for a shadowy operative and while she had encountered the rest of the Addams names at various points, Fester was still pretty out there as names went. ‘Why don’t we discuss that after you’re settled in?’

‘Settled in?’ Wednesday repeated, tone obviously confused.

‘Didn’t we bring him back because he’s coming with us?’

Wednesday cocked her head, thinking. On the floor, the bugs were already carrying Fester away so when Wednesday walked over to whisper with Enid they had a modicum of privacy.

‘Honestly, I’ve brought him back on board to have a health check and get him cleaned. He’s probably been sealed in that space suit for the past six months.’

Enid wrinkled her nose at the thought of that odour.

‘I had not really thought past that point.’

Enid nodded, but still there were important questions.

‘Alright, but he was clearly using that bunker as a hiding space. What do you think he was doing out here?’

Chapter Text

With Wednesday’s warning about the probably rankness of Fester’s odour, Enid avoided that end of the ship while Thing kept her appraised of the situation. Part of what kept Enid away was the fact that even Wednesday was avoiding this, apparently having opted to deal with that through the distant use of drones.

Wednesday herself was with Enid in the cockpit, and had agreed to put up the lights while they waited for any messages from the Addams clan.

Their messages to Earth would now only take about one and a half hours to get there. Three hours for a round trip if the response was immediate. Unfortunately, Enid had no idea who would be forwarding the messages or how trusting they would be. It would be an Addams on the other end, so probably very, but she was sure Wednesday had been her normal brusque self with the demand. Because of course it would be a demand.

Wednesday had requested the messages were re-transmitted to their current location, along with a half dozen others to throw off the trail. But Enid herself was practically bouncing in her seat. She needed to know if her family was okay.

When the messages arrived she pounced on them and started jumping through them on fast forward.

Enid Sinclair! You respond right this moment...

Hey cub, doing alright here... doctor’s said it’s benign...

Hey sis! Did you really punch a governor’s son in the head?

... The company said you’re red-listed, so I’ve been pulled off duty... silly goose.

Hey sis, as normal here’s my latest photos. Wish you’d write something back. Hope you’re doing okay.

... I don’t like these Addams but you at least responded when we used them. So...

... I guess you’re hiding really well. Just... if you can send us a sign you’re safe.

Enid couldn’t take it anymore.

‘Wednesday!’ Enid shouted, not looking up from screen where her father was very obviously undergoing some form of physical therapy.

‘Fine,’ Wednesday answered from two feet away, clutching her ear. Enid blushed but didn’t manage to apologise before answering. ‘You can send them a message to let them know you’re alright. Just try to do it in a more coherent way than you read them. I can’t imagine they intended for their messages to be butchered like that.’

Enid gave Wednesday a quick hug before pushing her out of camera range, the captain rolling her eyes so hard that it was a wonder she didn’t do herself an injury.

Pulling up the camera she set it recording.

‘Hi family, will send more later. Just letting you know I’m alive and I’m okay. Went a bit off the reservation for a while there and wasn’t able to see most of your messages probably. But I’m back! See you all soon.’

Thing paused recording there and Enid shot Wednesday a nervous look. The captain was looking down at her own screens but somehow aware enough to give a nod.

‘Thing, send it?’

Thing pinged a confirmation and a moment later the video package vanished off of the screen.

Immediately Enid felt a lot better. And then half a heartbeat later that there were about a thousand other people she should be messaging like Bianca and Divina, Ajax, Janey and June and...

‘Wednesday’ Enid whined, slumping over to her captain. She rested her head on Wednesday’s shoulder and huffed. ‘There’s so many people to message. I have a thousand contacts.’

‘You exaggerate’ Wednesday groused.

Thing pinged from the side and Enid saw something being pushed on Wednesday’s screen, although she didn’t actually turn to look.

‘Oh... I stand corrected’ Wednesday hummed. A moment later she followed up, fully serious, ‘Enid, you have a problem and I think an intervention should be held.’

‘I went to space for two years’ Enid wailed. ‘That counts as rehab!’ She was mostly joking, but the knowledge that in a few days she would be back on Earth again and as connected as she had once been was messing with her head. She didn’t think she would be as caught up in it again, she had changed too much, but it was still there. Still tempting.

Ping.

‘Hmm...’ Wednesday clearly wasn’t convinced, even as she rubbed Enid’s back. ‘Seems you needed longer...’

‘Wednesday... not right now...’

‘Okay.’

The two had a quiet moment as Enid relaxed only for Thing to give a warning trill. Enid and Wednesday both stood up, looking for the threat but nothing else appeared, until a moment later the door opened and Fester burst into the room.

‘Thank you Thing’ Enid quietly whispered even as she was confronted with Fester. She had expected it would be an unusual person that emerged from inside that weird distorted space suit. She had seen videos of Fester before and noted his awkward motions. Even so, seeing him in person was... weird.

His head was fully hairless, including the eyebrows and eyelashes. His skin seemed more like it had been dusted on than an actual consistent layer and his eyes were somehow both too wet and too dry.

His chest was built like an ice-box, too broad and too square without even implying muscle. It stretched down to his short legs and long arms hung awkwardly at the side. His frame was covered by what was a coat clearly intended for someone of more typical proportions which stretched over his shoulders and hung past his knees but he didn’t seem the least uncomfortable.

A jolly smile adorned his gaunt face but as he stepped into the room Enid was confronted with a cloud of disinfectant. When she turned aside to try and hide her wrinkling nose she saw even Wednesday’s face had twitched.

‘Were the arthropoda able to help you out of your space suit’ Wednesday asked, voice even.

‘Oh yes, they were very helpful. Clever little things. It’s not built to let you get out yourself you know? Took a lot of wriggling to get in.’

Wednesday nodded, sitting herself down in her command chair and gesturing Enid to her side. Enid took the position even as Fester wandered in, excitedly chatting about how sleek Thing was looking.

‘Sorry I never saw you off old chum. I was just...’

‘Uncle Fester’ Wednesday called his attention. It was still snappish, but gentle for Wednesday. The man turned with a confused expression as though surprised to find them here, but he still broke into a smile when he recognised them.

Enid was struck with the sudden question if Fester had memory problems. It wouldn’t be the most shocking thing given some of what he said in the videos.

‘Why were you hiding out here Fester? Did you get in trouble with the law again?’

Fester immediately looked anywhere but at the two of them, eyes darting for an exit even as Thing quietly closed the door. Enid was sure if that chalky skin could hold a blush Fester would be bright red but as it was, it was hard to tell in the sterile lights of the bridge.

Actually, Wednesday would normally have the space red-lit. Had she been thinking forward or was this a lucky coincidence.

‘Traitor’ Fester whispered up at the ceiling.

‘Uncle Fester’ Wednesday said with strained patience.

‘Oh nothing like that. I just had a small... argument. With a woman.’

Wednesday took a deep breath.

‘Again?’

Enid cast her mind back but she wasn’t part of the family. All she knew about Fester’s history with women was that they were normally using him to get something.

‘They were really nice’ Fester offered weakly.

‘Fester...’ Wednesday groaned. ‘They’re always nice. That’s how you know they’re lying.’

‘Hey!’ Enid snapped. ‘I’m nice!’

Wednesday didn’t offer a response to that but Fester was looking between the two of them.

‘And here we thought it would never happen.’

Warning whine... from the ceiling.

‘Oh she would never hurt me’ Fester answered with absolute confidence.

‘I’ve shot you multiple times’ Wednesday answered grimly, which Enid could fully believe.

‘With low-velocity rounds’ Fester scoffed. ‘You never even threw me off a balcony.’

‘I definitely have’ Wednesday snapped. ‘I got you off the roof when I was three!’

‘Psh...’ Fester waved it away.

Weird family Enid reminded herself.

‘Okay, but who is this woman that tricked you? Because if I need to talk Wednesday down from a murder it normally takes a while’ Enid interrupted. Wednesday patted Enid in the small of the back as Fester sighed.

Wednesday’s eyes locked onto every portion of Fester as he hesitated. Her uncle had not been a constant feature of the home but he was close as you could be when you vanished for months or years at a time. That meant she was quite familiar with his tells.

A tug at the cuff meant it had been a passion. A glance down and to the right a mistake. The shift in his shoulders meant there was no longer an attraction. Strange, it normally took him longer to...

‘She was very convincing...’

And there it was, clicking together in her mind like a prism.

‘Catfished again!’ Wednesday groaned. ‘At least when there’s a real person this makes a modicum of sense uncle.’

‘Hey now. They’re doing amazing things with videographic modelling at the moment.’

‘Using it to trick lonely old men’ Wednesday grumbled, standing up. ‘What was it this time? She needed you to convince her family of your ability to care for her? Or was it a ticket off world?’

‘Rescue from a mental institution’ Fester admitted. At least they had picked their target this time.

‘Oh you poor man’ Enid interrupted Wednesday’s thoughts. The girl had already made her way over to Fester and was patting him on his enlarged back. She’d have to use a lot of force if she wanted him to feel anything. The nerves back there were blasted to almost insensate. ‘That must have been so hard.’

‘Enid, do not coddle him’ Wednesday insisted. The rest of the family was bad enough about this.

‘But he tried to rescue her’ Enid whined.

‘Yeah Wednesday’ Fester nodded along, not quite understanding what was happening but joining gamely in. ‘I did. And I managed to escape on my own too.’

‘Escape’ Wednesday tilted her head. It was true. Normally an intervention by the family was needed. Or the other party blew themselves up trying to kill Fester off out of sheer irritation. ‘Why did you need to escape?’

‘Oh well, once I knew Malört wasn’t there to rescue there was no real need to hang around. They asked a lot of questions, but they weren’t really that interesting...’

Fester was quite resistant to enhanced interrogation, mostly due to the fact he would not realise he was being tortured. His resistance to drugging was near legendary due to his altered neurochemistry and the substances he regularly imbibed. But they had been after something...

‘What were the questions they asked?’ Wednesday interrupted. Fester, Enid and Thing had clearly been trading tales but Wednesday had zoned out at some point.

‘Oh, a bit about the family, a bit about you. I didn’t tell them anything about you of course but they asked some other stuff too. Some of the cave systems we’ve unearthed and potential alien relics we’ve found. They weren’t very interesting about it so I don’t remember very well. They kept cycling doctors until they settled on this pair of real oddballs.’

Oddballs? From someone like Uncle Fester that had to be someone very unusual.

‘Yeah, male female pairing but the guy was all...’

Fester went more rigid than usual.

‘And the lady talked weird. Glowing golden eyes.’

Golden eyes... something about that niggled at her brain until she remembered.

‘Dr Barclay?’

Enid immediately straightened up in response.

‘Yeah... yeah that’s right, Barclay and Thorpe. I remember because they sounded like banks. The sort of things you’d get if you cracked them open... Anyway, she had a funny way of talking...’

Wednesday remembered that Enid had complained that Dr Gabrielle Barclay, and her experimented upon daughter, had a subtle double tone to their voice although Wednesday could not detect it herself. Wednesday herself had noted the golden glow their eyes gave off when neural augments were active. The pair of them had access to a form of auditory hypnosis bordering on mind control.

Bianca, the daughter, had joined the Nightshades and was feigning death at the moment. Probably starting a new life.

Drs Barclay and Thorpe, while not happy partners, had apparently been able to work together and were still doing so. Dr Thorpe had been put into a coma by Enid before they left. Looks like he had recovered.

And gone on to try and interrogate her uncle.

‘What was the name of the facility you were held at?’ Enid asked in the background.

‘Nevermore’ Fester answered happily. ‘Nevermore Care Facility.’

Chapter Text

Enid and Fester found themselves unceremoniously outside the bridge as Wednesday began composing a message to the Addams spy network. Who that would be was a mystery to Enid but Wednesday had been alight with interest for a few minutes and then shunting the two of them out.

‘Some things never change’ Fester chortled. ‘So how have you two been? Getting along okay?’

‘You could say that’ Enid smiled, feeling unusually shy. What could she actually tell Wednesday’s uncle? It was one thing to be open in front of Thing, who was somewhere between ship, pet and best friend. Quite another to tell Wednesday’s uncle they’d spent the morning lying in bed snuggling.

‘That’s excellent to hear. She’s always been so prickly but its good to see her loosening up.’

Fester looked one way then the other before striding off at speed. Enid, startled, followed him as he took one turn then another. Thing hummed nearby to confirm he was paying attention but didn’t offer further guidance. It was only when Enid noticed they’d crossed back over again that she realised,

‘You’re lost aren’t you.’

‘What?! Pshh... no’ Fester answered in perhaps his least convincing manner yet.

‘Thing, has Fester ever been on this ship before?’

Bzz...

‘Traitor’ Fester cursed the ceiling.

‘Why don’t you just ask me where you want to go?’ Enid asked.

Bing bong.

‘I’m just exploring! ... But if we could go somewhere with some food it would be much appreciated.’

At that moment there was a sound something like a buzz-saw revving. Enid originally looked to Thing but then realised the sound had come from directly in front of her.

Snickering noises

‘Hey, I’ve been in space for three months. Can’t blame me if I’m hungry.’

‘Sure thing Fester’ Enid smirked. ‘Follow me.’

With a plan in mind Enid started leading towards the kitchen.

‘What do you like to eat’ Enid asked, before remembering some of what the Addams normally ate. ‘We don’t have any squids or octopus or eyeballs.’

‘Oh I don’t need any delicacies. I’ll be happy with a simple nutrient paste’

Enid shuddered. Those nutrient pastes were the fear of basically any newbie starship crew. If you worked on a ship that only provided the nutrient paste, it was considered worse than a ship that didn’t allow for cleaning at all.

‘Wait, if that’s all you wanted, what have you been eating since you got into space?’

‘Well before I got escaped I cultivated a small hive of nutritious lice’ Fester started and it just got worse from there. By the time they got to the communal space Enid knew far too much about lice cultivation, reproduction and taste for her liking as Fester cheerfully went over to the kitchenette and started examining.

‘Huh... Wednesday doesn’t keep much of the good stuff around does she?’ he asked, head popping up at what must have been a very painful angle considering his back.

Enid knew Wednesday to keep chili oils and all manner of delicious things around, but consoled herself that Wednesday had somehow managed to leave her family with an almost normal sense of taste, sans a strange affection for burnt coffee grounds.

As Enid heard further rummaging and knew Wednesday was a bit touchy about the sorting of the kitchen, she opted to try and redirect Fester.

‘I don’t think she’s got any nutrient paste in the kitchen’ Enid answered, voice steady. ‘But she does keep some stuff in storage. Or if you just want some fresh leaf and veg, we’ve the hydroponics bay?’

‘Any pests?’ Fester perked up.

‘Not the kind you can eat’ Enid answered, remembering that the arthropods had set up their hive in there. ‘At least, not without upsetting Wednesday.’

Fester seemed to be considering that.

Wednesday finished her communications to the family and leaned back in her seat. That one of their own had gone missing, kidnapped even, was not unusual. Fester’s little stint in Nevermore would not even raise eyebrows at the next family gala. But to Wednesday, such things were problems to be pruned.

The first question was who had gone after Fester. Given that Drs Thorpe and Barclay had been present the obvious contender was Crackstone but various corporations were not above the kidnapping of high-tier scientists when the opportunity arose. Still, for now that suggested Crackstone had yet to forgive them.

Were they responsible for the seeded information on Rasczack? Unclear. To be put aside for now.

The bounty hunters, who had been set to interfere with her return to Earth were likely from Crackstone but that was intentionally unprovable. Also to be set aside for now.

But why were they still after Wednesday and Enid? Were they even still after them, or was this all leftover from their initial encounter?

It was not unheard of for a corporation to take vindictive measures against those that crossed them, but normally when there was a personal stake involved for someone in management. Not simple staff. To Wednesday, they had not interfered with any executive personally enough to warrant this level of interference.

Unless there was a measure of profit or loss for the company involved, this sequence of actions made little sense. The company’s losses were already made, and there was no profit to removing them from the board. Unless... Project Bloodmoon was enough to warrant all this.

Wednesday steepled her fingers. Until this point she had considered Bloodmoon to be a problem for her and Enid. The unknown additive that had been placed into Enid’s bloodstream that they knew almost nothing of save that Dr Thorpe had thought all the test subjects dead decades ago. A death sentence on her beloved.

But what if it was not only their problem?

How would this be a problem for Crackstone?

Wednesday could reveal the experiment on Enid, but that would only be embarrassing. It would take significant digging to dredge up enough evidence to make anything stick. How did they perceive this becoming a problem? Alternatively, what could increased scrutiny by Wednesday lead to?

The web spread out in Wednesday’s head but there were simply too many unknowns. Fortunately, she had a way of getting more information. She now knew that Drs Barclay and Thorpe had somehow escaped.

She knew they were in the Nevermore care facility, whatever that was.

If she found it, she could get answers that would make her a threat to Crackstone.

Well, if they were acting in expectation she would become a threat to them, then it was only right she met their expectations. Or exceed them.

‘Thing’ she called. He responded immediately, saluting smartly on screen. ‘We’re moving into counter-corporate stance when we get to Earth. I was intending to focus on Enid’s family and introductions but we’re going to have to widen focus.’

Ping. Worble?

‘We’ve stumbled into something of a useful tool in that direction’ Wednesday answered. ‘Can you begin digging into anything we have on Larissa Weems? I should go check on the other two.’

Rustling leaves.

‘What are they doing there?’

Enid was not precisely sure how she was supposed to feel as Fester lay on the floor, being poked and prodded by the egg-tending bugs Wednesday had repurposed as her farmhands.

Is not mineral deposit one of them was insisting.

Tastes like salt bag the other one countered.

‘No mulching people’ Enid repeated insistently as one of them was aggressively scratching at Fester’s hand like it intended to use him as fertilizer.

‘Let’s not go crazy’ Wednesday interrupted. ‘Without pigs, they may be a very suitable way of disposing of corpses.’

Enid spun as Wednesday entered the room. She could already see the change in Wednesday, despite her maintaining her normal composed expression. It was the eyes for Enid. When Wednesday had a problem that made her happy, they lit up with this sort of energy that was hard to describe. Enid had seen when problems were painful to Wednesday but for the moment, this was a good thing. It gave her girlfriend something to sharpen her blade on.

Enid blinked as she realised how much spending time with Wednesday was changing how she thought.

‘Should I ask?’ Enid hopped over to Wednesday, looking down into those energetic eyes.

‘Tell you later’ Wednesday answered, already understanding the non-sequitur. ‘It’s something that will come up when we’re on Earth.’

Wednesday turned her gaze to Fester and gestured. Without a word the bugs scuttled away from Fester and back to their hive, leaving the large man lying awkwardly on their floor.

‘Aww’ Fester pouted, sitting up. ‘We were just making friends.’

‘I believe your classification was closer to fertiliser. Did they damage your implants?’

Implants?

Fester held up his hands and for the first time Enid noticed the subtle shine of wires under the skin. More importantly, she saw burns on his palms and fingertips. Those should be treated, she thought. Then she caught up with the meaning,

‘I thought the Addams family didn’t go in for augments’ Enid commented as she stepped forward and offered Fester a hand up, gripping at the wrist to avoid his burns.

‘Not out of any discouragement’ Wednesday answered peaceably. ‘But you and Fester do actually share something. Fester’s augmentation was something done to him, without consent.’

Enid bristled as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Her pre-birth augmentation was a non-issue. She had grown up in a whole family who saw that as normal. But the knowledge that someone had added something to her body since then. So insidiously quietly that she might never have known... she tried not to think about most of the time.

Fester himself didn’t seem to mind at all and his looked significantly cruder.

‘Abby Craven’ Fester sighed. ‘She was a peach. German you know?’

‘She was a psychopath’ Wednesday stated bluntly.

‘Who isn’t’ Fester grinned, and Enid had to take his point. In the Addams family... well, they weren’t violent necessarily. But they were definitely abnormal. What was the definition again?

‘She was also incompetent’ Wednesday fired back.

‘Still works doesn’t it’ Fester grinned, palm up as he rose to his feet. He snapped his fingers and Enid saw sparks fly.

‘What is it?’ Enid asked. It was a bit of a rude question but she didn’t think Fester would mind and she could admit she was curious. Enid had been exposed to a wide variety of augmentation options, especially those combat related, and while she wasn’t an expert she had thought herself familiar with even the esoteric options.

But the crude metal running under Fester’s skin seemed both archaic and innovative. Truth be told, if she had not seen him flinging sparks she would have thought it was some sub-dermal support structure, rather than true augmentation.

‘My little trick’ Fester beamed. ‘I can generate and direct currents through my body. Store them too’ he smirked.

Enid nodded along, accepting the answer before she realised,

‘On the space station! You tased me! I thought that was the space suit.’

That was honestly quite impressive if it was biologically generated electricity. Especially if it had to pass through Fester’s body. But Enid noticed that Wednesday had stiffened next to her and that she was forcefully keeping her hand open by pressing it against her thigh.

‘Well it only seemed fair’ Fester grinned, apparently not noticing his niece’s agitation. ‘You were tossing me all around that corridor if you hadn’t noticed.’

Wednesday quietly spoke, tone silencing the whole room.

‘Where did he tase you mia sol?’

Enid patted on her chest where she had felt the shock. It had stung and if she hadn’t been wearing the insulating suit, could have done some serious damage. But facts were she was fine and she had attacked first.

‘Stung a fair bit the suit took most of it I think’ Enid hedged.

Wednesday closed her eyes and took a deep breath before shooting Fester a dark look. Her normally cold eyes seemed to shine with malice but despite that Wednesday remained quiet. She seemed to struggle for words for a bit before simply putting an arm around Enid. In a choked voice she declared,

‘Mine.’

Fester blinked then put both hands up.

‘Understood.’

Enid didn’t get the whole context of what had just happened there but she was pretty sure Wednesday was establishing that Enid would not be put through the Addams normal sort of roughhousing. Which was sort of a relief but Enid could stand up for herself. And it wasn’t like she wasn’t used to a little roughhousing in the family.

‘Wednesday, I’m fine’ she reassured the dark captain, rubbing the smaller woman’s back. Wednesday scowled for a moment before nodding.

‘Come on Fester, I have some of your favourite in cold storage.’

The cloud passed and Fester seemed positively giddy at the promised food as Wednesday led the two of them out of the hydroponics and toward storage. Enid did wonder how Fester would react when he found out what was in the main hold but hopefully she could keep him from going into an alien hive in search of snacks.

Chapter Text

Initially, Wednesday had been worried how to keep Fester occupied until they had enough charge to jump to Earth. However, it turned out that keeping her uncle amused was fairly easy. She had merely introduced him to the true hive of the arthropoda and left him with the alien intelligence to learn the language.

It turned out, being an Addams was not enough to grant him the intuition she and Enid enjoyed. He did not glean hidden meaning or intent merely by observing the movements of the hive. But knowing that she and Enid could had been driving him insane.

In a pleasant way.

Wednesday had Thing release the primer Eugene Ottinger, a scientist back on Rasczack, had prepared for the UWSA to communicate with the arthropoda without Wednesday and Enid’s presence. His years of research were devoured by Fester who adopted a much more insect like posture scuttling on the ground as he mimicked the bugs motions.

Wednesday privately suspected he was just having fun mimicking them and would be months away from actual communication, but he was amused and the arthropoda itself accepted him as harmless.

Wednesday then proceeded to chart their course to Earth. Now that they were back in regulated space, and had moved a reasonable way into the galaxy, there should be no variation or issue with jumping almost all the way to Earth. Their jump wouldn’t quite take them into the Sol system but close enough that there would be precious little time to mount a defence.

For some reason, Enid frowned when Wednesday phrased it that way.

‘Just saying, the plan isn’t to fight our way through’ she stressed. ‘Not even you are taking on the Earth-Defence-Force.’

The EDF, as Enid put it, maintained a sizable fleet in the area with drives primed to launch intercepts at a moment’s notice and significant firepower. Of course Wednesday would never fight them directly.

However, those were actually the people she intended to use as her shields. By jumping in in an alarming, but not illegal manner, from the outer edges, she would force them to form a protective cordon around Thing until they confirmed her situation, which would prevent anyone else coming close enough to cause problems.

It would also require a lot of boring paperwork in the aftermath but she and Thing had already pre-filled in the forms.

‘I don’t even understand how you put this together’ Enid huffed as she leaned over Wednesday’s astrological chart. ‘I thought you couldn’t even approach Earth from this far out.’

‘We are fortunate that our arrival was so accelerated. While astrological distances are large enough that to us things appear stable, everything is in constant motion. A confluence of events is allowing me to accelerate our arc of approach.’

‘Yeah’ Enid responded, before a smile spread across her face. ‘Yes. We are fortunate. I get to meet your family so much earlier than usual. And you get to meet mine.’

Wednesday, much as she loved Enid, was not looking forward to that second part at all. And she could take or leave the first.

‘Just remember, do not kill my mother’ Enid insisted.

‘What if it was just a light stabbing’ Wednesday mused.

‘She’s a career soldier-augment Wednesday. You, my sweet tiny thing’ Enid compounded the insult but cuddling down on Wednesday, ‘are not going to win a protracted fight with her. So you’re either going to kill her or lose. And I’ve already said...’

Wednesday wanted to remain silent but Enid was glaring.

‘No killing your mother’ Wednesday relented.

‘Or hiring assassins. Thing told me.’

Alarmed ringing!!!

‘I was just getting estimated quotes’ Wednesday told Enid with a fully straight face while with one hand she typed her promises of retribution to Thing. From the corner of her eye she saw several screens go dark.

‘I’ve grown’ Enid sighed contentedly. ‘With you. I’m more confident now. She won’t push me around any more, so you don’t need to protect me.’

Wednesday understood Enid’s argument. It was sound. But she did not feel like it was true. In her heart she wanted to protect Enid from any and all things. She wrestled with that sometimes but the fact was Enid was at her most beautiful free. Wednesday would not be her cage.

‘Very well’ Wednesday nodded, turning to give Enid a kiss on the cheek. Such casual affection was coming easier to her now but the desire to follow that kiss with a dozen more fluttered under the surface.

Turning back to the calculations she nodded.

‘We’ll do one final diagnostic and then jump. I want to see Earth again.’

-

Wednesday sat staring at the main-screen of the bridge as Enid idly played with the end of one of Wednesday’s braids. At one point, the notion that she was moving faster than light, violating the causality of the universe and one failed calculation away from death had thrilled Wednesday. Space travel had been, for lack of better words, exciting.

Now it smacked of the mundane and she found herself more nervous to be returning home. There was the regular nerves of impending reunion with her family but somehow, the meeting with Fester had released some of that tension. She was being eased back into that.

There was the game of cat and mouse she was about to engage in with Crackstone. That the two of them were at odds for some time could not be in doubt but now the timeline of their moves would accelerate. Decisions that both could take weeks or months with until now, would be played out in hours, maybe minutes.

But that was merely fun diversion.

No, Wednesday found her nerves came from the thought of crowds, natural sunlight and the press of people. She was not a primitive who thought she would be happier in some isolated wilderness. She lived on a spaceship after all. A pinnacle of technology. But she could admit there was a distaste for civilisation within her that was mutually held by civilised society against her.

But Enid was not part of that.

Wednesday caught Enid’s wrist and gave it a kiss as moments later they burst back into mundane space.

Thing’s sensors immediately picked up the various observer satellites that beamed their position to security ships at faster than light speeds. In under four minutes there would be no less than four ships converging on their location, deployed to prevent her from leaping in a way that would threaten Earth.

‘Are you ready mia lupa?’

‘Born ready’ Enid grinned, as she moved to a console prominently in front of Wednesday. ‘After all, it’s just talking.’

Wednesday closed her eyes and waited, trusting as Enid looked over her notes. On screen, in the distance visible to the naked eye, was Sol. Two star systems away. A mere step.

It had been a year and four months since she had been this close to home. So much had changed in that time.

Within three minutes the first ship had approached them, appearing as though from nowhere as they jumped into the system. They hailed immediately and as Thing sent identification through, Enid answered the call.

To Wednesday it was akin to a magic trick. Enid smiled and charmed as though there was no artifice to it. Because to Enid there wasn’t. She was not trying to trick these soldiers into liking her. She was not talking her way out of a potentially sticky legal situation.

She was genuinely greeting these men and women who were posted out on long surveillance watches, asking them about their days because she genuinely cared. When asked she offered them more information than requested and somehow gave them less.

And they lapped it up.

Wednesday did not understand it. Perhaps never would. But she still loved to watch Enid work. Because it was not the same thing Enid did with her. Enid befriended these people.

She enamoured Wednesday fully.

Which was why Wednesday almost missed when Thing blared an open-fire alert.

Enid had never heard the alarm Thing made before but she figured out what it meant quickly enough.

On a side screen Thing highlighted a trio of missiles launched from one of the UWSA ships and their accelerating paths towards them. Panic filled her even as Thing launched countermeasures. The missiles were allowed to move halfway from the UWSA space ship towards them, accelerating to 0.1% the speed of light before Thing annihilated it with a microwave beam burst that melted the whole group to slag.

There was absolute silence on the bridge.

Enid turned to the UWSA officers on screen who looked just as shocked as she did.

‘Did you just...’ Enid started to ask, unable to comprehend.

The Valiant Dawn, the third cruiser to arrive, whose command staff were on the group call with Enid at that very moment, had just fired on them.

‘Mute mute mute’ Enid heard before the line cut out. She could still see them on screen as a flurry of activity poured out. She looked back over her shoulder at Wednesday fearful of the reaction. The dark captain could take disproportionate offence sometimes and they had just been fired on.

Wednesday’s reaction was, if anything, muted. Her eyes unfocused and vague as she tapped her fingers against the dashboard.

‘Stand down Thing Addams’ Enid heard from the screen. The crew of the Wolf-at-the-Gates had regained a modicum of composure and were barking orders at them now. ‘You will disarm your weapons and...’

‘Us?!’ Enid spluttered. ‘You guys just shot at us! If another missile comes...’

‘No further missiles will come’ Wednesday stated calmly. ‘If there were enough agents to accomplish more, there would be conflict on the bridge. Or more missiles would have been fired.’

Enid turned back to see that, much as the bridge was agitated they were all unified in purpose. No one had gone for a weapon or sprinted for the exit.

‘Thing-Addams, disable your weapons array’ the captain of the Wolf demanded again.

Wednesday did not even bother answering, very obviously yawning.

‘Weapons down’ Enid answered after a moment, checking a screen to make sure that none of Thing’s traditional weapons were active or charging. There was precious little she could do to make him and she wasn’t sure how that microwave beam registered from the outside, since it wasn’t listed for her, but the soldiers seemed to accept it.

‘Good. Await further instructions as we handle things here.’

The captain made a gesture to his comms officer. If Enid had been raised civilian she would not have known what that meant but her father had served as comms-engineer as well as marine infantry. That was the captain getting a separate line to the other ships in the fleet and muting the communication to Thing.

‘Should we go mute as well’ Enid asked, turning back to Wednesday.

Wednesday idly flicked and Thing pinged a confirmation they were now muted. Thing remained silent if there were others listening in. Enid had thought he was shy but now she had to wonder if it was simply to keep another weapon in Wednesday’s arsenal hidden. If no one knew Thing was there, they could not plan around him.

‘Back five minutes and someone’s already shooting at us’ Enid sighed, slumping forward.

‘They can still see us’ Wednesday noted, seated ram-rod straight.

Enid glanced up at the other ship where video showed that only one person had even glanced her way, the rest either eyeing their stations or focused on the captains and the furious back and forth that was happening there.

A large number of them were augmented in some way Enid noted. The UW didn’t throw its money around in the same way as the corporations did, they had too many hungry mouths for that, but they did take care of their people. Enid saw several high end ocular augments among the staff and maybe a respiratory enhancement. There were also clear signs of muscular augmentation almost everywhere.

Augments were, for the most part, done with the intention that their recipients still looked close to human. That these were generally perfected or idealised humans was not the point. The point was something in the human psyche still craved to be recognised as human.

Enid herself, looked practically baseline, despite testing showing that over the last year her muscular and bone density had risen to almost top-tier augmented level. Would she be able to go toe to toe with these career soldiers now?

‘Enid’ Wednesday nudged. ‘I believe they’ll start addressing us soon. You should sit up.’

Enid shot Wednesday a grumpy look but did as asked, and moments later there was the change in background noise that showed the other ships were broadcasting again.

‘Captain Wednesday Addams, you are listed as a person of interest to UWSA chapter four. Please turn over control of your ship and you will be brought to a space port for...’

‘I will not be doing that’ Wednesday interrupted.

‘Captain Addams, this is a UWSA authorised ship. You will...’

‘I have not been formally charged with any crime’ Wednesday answered in what Enid knew to be a half truth. Wednesday was not currently being charged with any crimes. ‘I am transporting an alien collective who are not signatories of the UWSA agreements...’

Oh boop! They were leading with that?! Enid saw the ripple of concern on the crew of the other bridges at that statement.

‘And it has just been proven that your ships are not free of influence from those who would seek to harm it. You may give me a flight path which I will follow, but I am not handing over control of my ship.’

‘Ma’am’ someone started to say with a very dark tone. Enid identified the captain of the Valiant-Dawn who was no doubt embarrassed at their own slippage. Enid could already feel they would be about to try and brow beat Wednesday into submission. Which would go terribly.

Enid glanced at Wednesday just in time to see the other woman’s lips quirk in a smirk.

Chapter Text

Sometimes, it was really easy to hate Wednesday. Enid never did, but she could understand why people would get frustrated with her.

She had just had to sit through fifteen minutes of back and forth arguing which felt like five hours, during which two mediators had broken down and Wednesday had come away... okay, she wasn’t actually smiling like the cat that got the canary. Wednesday kept her face too rigidly controlled for that, especially when in front of anyone she did not consider family, but Enid could feel the smug radiating off her.

It was kind of hot. Which said unfortunate things about Enid.

The other captains departed the call with orders to their staff and there was a ping as the route map calculated for them, for a very simple straight line jump, was sent over.

‘We’re actually obeying right?’ Enid said.

‘Well now that you’ve put it like that...’ Wednesday started.

‘Wednesday please!’

Soothing chime.

‘Yes, we’re going along. They would hardly let us in a position to launch shuttles otherwise.’

Enid knew it was possible to smuggle stuff in from off world, but she was glad Wednesday would take the legal route in at least some of the time.

‘So what was that?’ Enid asked as they started aligning with the instructed course. ‘With the missiles.’

‘Likely an attempt to collect on the bounty, or someone pressured or inserted for use at times such as these. They’re really burning through capital trying to get to us.’

‘Who is they?’ Enid asked, tapping her fingers on the dashboard. It would have been less annoying if she had something to do but Thing could run this part on his own and Wednesday barely needed to glance at the calculations to follow the route. Straight line from one gravity well to another? Easy.

‘Crackstone I suspect. If they are responsible for your implants, it becomes much harder for them to remove us once we land at the centre of what will no doubt be a media frenzy about alien life.’

Enid couldn’t help but agree. Intelligent aliens were still more science fiction than science fact to most people. There were signs of aliens having once occupied the galaxy. Even signs of advanced technology. But of those who had been before there was precious little sign.

A few planets had been discovered with native species who presented intelligence comparable with dolphins and great apes. Able to create societies and cultures, but not rise past the tribal stage. Humans had backed off from those planets. Studying but not colonising them. Dropping in occasionally to see if higher communication was possible. But to most of Earth those were amusing animals. They weren’t... people.

They did not create great works or technologies. They did not build cities and roads. They did not travel the stars.

The organisms in their hold were the works of an intelligence that had bio-engineered a collective to colonise a planet that they would not see for thousands of years. A farming tool given the ability to plan and wage war and terraform a world over the course of millions of years.

It was going to be a stick of dynamite in the pond.

Assuming people recognised that intelligence.

‘Should we have tried to teach the bugs more ways to communicate with humans?’ Enid asked, sitting up.

‘That is really more of a “their problem”’ Wednesday answered. ‘A bit late to be considering it too.’

Enid couldn’t come up with a response but Wednesday must have realised how she sounded.

‘Besides, they will not form a full intelligence until they have had time to establish their colony. The brain-wyrm is not supposed to function in isolation. They should be expected to need a period of settlement to establish a colony worth treating with.’

Another problem. Where would they possibly find a place to allow the colony to establish itself? That would be foreign borders as soon as they were finished. The colony on Rasczack had been able to recognise the concept after an explanation but as far as Enid knew, the species was used to being in the overwhelming majority. Even on Thing they had outnumbered Wednesday and Enid by similarly large margins.

But they were ambassadors. Probably.

They should accept limitations that the humans would need to feel comfortable. Hopefully.

Enid put it out of her mind as they jumped into and almost immediately fell out of FTL and on screen, for the first time in over a year, was Earth.

Enid found herself out of her seat and staring at that pale blue orb. A sliver of moon glowed to the side and a fleet of defences shimmered in the light of the sun, but it was home.

‘Did you miss it?’ Wednesday asked quietly from behind Enid. She had not even heard the other woman approach but felt a small hand reach out and press against the small of her back.

‘A little... A lot... I don’t know.’

Enid found her feelings piling up and spilling around in a confusing mess as she stared at the world of her birth.

‘Here is home. With you is home. But there is too. You know?’

Wednesday was quiet for a while. ‘Not really. But I’m here for you.’

Enid loved that honesty, so she turned and gave Wednesday a kiss on top of the head before returning to staring at the planet as ships approached them.

Wednesday liked knowing what she was supposed to do but she hated receiving orders. Requests? Okay. Instructions, if presented in the right manner, maybe. Orders ran wrong against her which was why a career in any form of military had never appealed to her.

The urge to bite back was too strong to be ignored for long.

But she held off on it as the ships put her into a holding pattern. She had expected they would be delayed. They were bringing in foreign biologicals which was always problematic, and it was not like the UWSA could poke and prod these the way they would a cow. These were diplomats. Or parts of one at least.

Enid was surprised, and more than a little miffed, but she was the one that had pressed Wednesday to follow the rules. There was the option of Enid going down to meet her family first but she quickly nixed that.

‘After all, leaving you alone up here would be a recipe for disaster.’

Wednesday resented that but could admit that based on Enid’s observations, the assessment was accurate.

They did at least get confirmation that the United Worlds Authorities had a plan for them. Just that the plan had not been widely disseminated.

The problem with plans though, was that they never survived first contact with the enemy. Or an Addams.

Unfortunately for the UWSA, now that Wednesday had arrived, a half dozen Addams would begin converging.

The first two were approaching the security cordon before Wednesday could even call them.

Wednesday watched on screen as her parent’s private shuttle approached.

There was a slight delay as the Addams shuttle was intercepted by a small flight of military fighter craft but less than five minutes later the shuttle was proceeding again and Wednesday had a call from the military requesting landing for both her parents and an observer craft.

Wednesday had drained the atmosphere from the hangar the moment she saw the shuttle leaving her family home, and opened the doors for them to land.

This was going to be... trying.

Enid was unsure what was happening when Wednesday summoned her to the hangar. Presumably she was being called to deal with whomever was coming aboard that Wednesday didn’t want to deal with, but when she arrived at the hangar, Wednesday was waiting right there.

Wednesday was always... not immaculate. That wasn’t quite right for a human. But she was always clean, outfit pressed and skin clear. Her hair was always in tightly coiled braids even when Enid’s own hair would have frizzed out at least a little. Her nails had been the same length the entire time Enid knew her which should have been impossible. But that was Wednesday.

Now?

Now Wednesday’s porcelain skin seemed porcelain in truth. It wasn’t make up but more like she had somehow cleaned deeper than her usual perfection. The lines of her jumpsuit were so sharp Enid thought she could cut herself on the creases. And her expression was so rigid that Enid wondered her face did not crack when she spoke.

‘Brace yourself Enid. This is going to be an ordeal.’

From Wednesday, that warning had Enid’s blood running cold.

‘What is it?’

‘My parents’ Wednesday answered stiffly.

That almost had Enid break out in a laugh. She had seen Wednesday’s parents. They were lovely people. Well, she had yet to meet them in person but they had traded a few short video messages with each other. There was nothing scary about Wednesday’s parents.

Except that Enid was meeting them, for the first time.

In shorts and a T-shirt.

‘Why didn’t you warn me?’ Enid hissed, quickly running her fingers through her hair trying to comb it into something resembling order. Wednesday had clearly taken the time to fix her appearance. Was a five minute warning too much?

‘You always look good’ Wednesday answered with not a hint of sarcasm or irony. She did ruin it by adding, ‘In your own style.’

Just brilliant, Enid growled, considering if she could run for her room in time.

‘Thing?! I expect this from her but not you.’

Confused burble.

‘Traitor!’

Whine.

‘There’s no point taking your frustrations out on him’ Wednesday answered lightly. ‘He has been making himself presentable as well.’

Enid could have cried. No one bothered with deodorant on long space trips but she had been told they were quarantined for at least another day. She could have used some of her precious deodorant or scent supply for this!

‘Wednesday’ Enid stressed, ‘I love you, but next time, some warning?’

Wednesday nodded just as the door hissed and started to open.

The hangar of Wednesday’s ship was not large. It had space for Wednesday’s shuttle and then comfortably one other. When Thing had gravity off he could guide in the visiting ship with towing cables.

Right now, there were three ships in the hangar. Wednesday’s shuttle was easily the largest and squeezed in next to it was an unknown private vessel painted in shiny black and next to that was a military green vessel. They didn’t colour those for stealth any more but the colour was recognised enough that they had stuck with it, although omitting camo patterns except in certain situations.

Already, from the military vessel, a pair of men in minimal biohazard gear had stepped out. They wore naval uniforms and had full-face respirators equipped, along with prim blue gloves.

‘They are?’ Enid whispered as the door to the hangar closed behind her and Wednesday.

‘Soldiers to make sure we don’t slip any bio hazard material out’ Wednesday answered. Enid waved to them but Wednesday ignored them, staring spears at the ship in the middle. It had no windows that Enid could see until she realised this was the rear of the ship. They had backed in? Why?

The answer came a moment later as dramatic music swelled through the hangar. Enid glanced up at the ceiling before realising Thing wasn’t the one playing it. The shuttle was booming out music?

‘The Imperial March’ Wednesday mused quietly. ‘A classic.’

It was ominous as hell as the back of the ship split open and a ramp descended. Smoke billowed from the edges as the lights dimmed. Striding down the ramp came two silhouettes and Enid swallowed nervously.

The two silhouettes were striking. A woman so tall and slender she dwarfed the man beside her who was built broad. But soon they stepped into the light.

Morticia Addams was a pale beauty, raven black hair descending past her shoulders to merge with the slender black dress that hugged her form. Only a little makeup touched her face, extending her eye brows and painting her lips blood red. The whole thing gave her a timeless look, as though she would bear those features for a century before calmly descending into her coffin.

Beside her was Gomez Addams, short and broad he had not bothered to disguise his age. His hair was touched with grey and wrinkles crinkled the corners of his eyes in obvious laugh lines. He carried a vigorous sort of life to him, a burning flame to his wife’s distant moonlight.

Then they were right in front of the young couple and the music came to an abrupt end.

‘Darling!’ Morticia cried, bending over to inspect her daughter as Gomez exclaimed,

‘My little death-trap!’

Chapter Text

For all that Wednesday had obviously put effort into her appearance, Enid doubted her parents cared or even noticed. They were far too excited, smiling and just genuinely happy to be reunited with their daughter.

Though they moved close eagerly, they did not embrace Wednesday. It was clear they wanted to, hovering around like they did, but instead Morticia moved in for an air kiss and Gomez wrapped his frame around Wednesday without ever touching. Wednesday responded with a tight smile that warmed after a few fractured moments.

And then the Addams turned to Enid. Not hesitating a moment Gomez flung his arms wide inviting a hug.

Enid had not expected it but after glancing to Wednesday to confirm it was okay, moved forward to accept. Gomez immediately folded her in a warm embrace. There was no hesitation or embarrassment in the man and there was something deeply paternal about him, right down to the hearty slap on Enid’s back. Probably a bit harder than necessary, but in a comforting way.

Morticia swept in a moment later. She seemed remarkably thin and felt perhaps a bit fragile but her embrace was warm and motherly and the smile she offered felt so genuine.

For some reason Enid felt tears prickling at the back of her eyes.

‘Hello dear,’ Morticia smiled as Gomez released her. ‘It’s so good to finally meet you.’

‘It’s amazing to see you guys too’ Enid grinned. The words felt inadequate but Gomez and Morticia just beamed right back at her.

‘You two made remarkable time back’ Morticia noted, tone thoughtful. ‘We don’t hear from you for three months and we’re told that, even if you are still out there, you cannot possibly return for another four. Then suddenly you’re already upon us? And no call? We were informed by Larissa you’d charged the security perimeter?’

There was clearly a note of gentle chiding from Morticia there, but also a measure of amusement. She was not upset, merely pointing out her daughter had failed to call ahead. Wednesday inclined her head to show the message was received but there was no anxiety. No pain.

Enid didn’t know why that felt so strange. Or caused an ache in her own chest.

But she should probably message her parents.

‘Yes, if we could have an explanation of your route...’ The military pair stepped closer. For a moment, Enid had quite forgotten about them but as they stepped closer she felt her hackles rising. Still, their question deserved an answer.

Enid and Wednesday had discussed how to answer this before and Enid shot Wednesday a glance. It was, truthfully, impossible to explain their speed any other way than the truth and while Wednesday maintained her normal attitude, she had conceded they could be honest about at least this much. Although now she was speaking to her parents and leaving it to Enid to explain.

‘Oh we just hopped out of the galaxy for most of it’ Enid answered with forced casualness.

‘Mes bonbons! You have been beyond the galactic edge?’ Morticia flushed. ‘You simply must tell me all about it.’

‘Beyond...’ the military officer spluttered before Gomez stepped in to grasp both Wednesday and Enid’s hands.

‘My brave little exploradoras! Always diving into certain peril.’

He gently pressed one hand to Wednesday’s shoulder and put his arm warmly over Enid’s for a moment. Gomez was about a height with Wednesday so he was shorter than Enid by a fair margin at this point, but he made up for it with boisterousness and charm. Had he already clocked how much of a hugger Enid was?

Well, Enid reminded herself, she knew that Gomez was just generally tactile. Not immediately embracing his daughter probably had more to do with him respecting Wednesday’s boundaries than his own preferences. Kind of like Enid actually.

‘Should we move this conversation somewhere a bit more comfortable perhaps’ Morticia suggested gently, gesturing at the rather empty hangar. ‘I’m sure Thing has done lovely work with the spaces.’

Ping.

The military people glanced up at the ceiling but didn’t seem to recognise that had been a confirmation so spoke up.

‘Actually, if you two don’t wish to join them in quarantine, we will have to request that you do not enter the main body of the ship. Too much chance of passing biological material.’

All the Addams gave the intruders a very sour look at that. Although all of different flavours. Morticia gave Enid a sense of minor exasperation, Gomez as though they were being foolish children and Wednesday as though she wanted to nail their tongues to the roof of their mouths.

Yeah, Wednesday was definitely the angriest Addams Enid had seen thus far.

‘I’m sure it will be alright’ Morticia mollified, gesturing at herself. ‘As you can see I don’t even have pockets and I’m sure you have some very clever scanning device to detect foreign matter.’

The soldiers compared a look and gave an instruction to wait while they conferred with command. Wednesday and her family continued some mild greetings in the background but Enid kept an eye on the soldiers.

Over the last few months, the idea of people on Thing had started to bother Enid nearly as much as it bothered Wednesday. It wasn’t that Enid was becoming misanthropic, far from it, but it seemed like every time someone came on board, armed or not, it ended badly.

But Enid could not resent these soldiers. She even sympathised with them to some extent. They were just guards, trying to defend the birthplace of humanity. The requests were very reasonable, given the circumstances too. And Enid had enough experience being on their side of the rules that she knew the Addams tendency towards bending them must be aggravating.

However, it appeared the Addams had been given clearance from above. Moments later they were given the all clear to proceed although the soldiers were very clear on the limitations. Everyone moved as a group. No one left line of sight. And everything the soldiers asked to scan was to be scanned.

The door to the hangar bay opened and they set off.

Wednesday and her mother were in front, with Wednesday asking after her brother Pugsley, leaving Enid and Gomez walking ahead of the soldiers.

‘So how did you two make it here so quickly?’ Enid asked, adjusting her hair again and wishing she had been given the opportunity to clean up.

‘Oh we have a private launch field, don’t we cara mia? We make so many trips on the spur of the moment it was the only reasonable thing to do.’

Reasonable? Hardly. And yet he was charming and the look Morticia gave him was so full of love. Enid saw Wednesday glance back and gave a small smile. Wednesday offered a tiny quirk of her lips before turning back to her mother, but small as it had been, when Enid turned back to Gomez she could see delight in his eyes.

Fearing for Wednesday’s dignity if it was commented on, Enid ploughed into the first topic that came to mind.

‘And my parents? Were they...’

‘Oh I’m sorry my dear. We left a message with them and we would have waited if they’d answered the phone, but we were so eager to see our little storm-cloud that we just couldn’t wait.’

Enid waved the apology aside. It was fine. Her parents probably hadn’t expected to receive any information of them for months. She should remember to call as soon as she had a free moment. They weren’t going to be as chill as the Addams about this.

‘What time is it down there?’ Enid realised. ‘We’ve been in space for...’

‘It was about three in the morning when we received the alert, wasn’t it darling?’ Gomez checked with Morticia.

‘Yes, we were just engaging in a bit of moon-waltzing’ Morticia answered lightly. ‘Then Lurch came out with the news.’

‘Our little girl was home’ Gomez beamed as proudly as if Wednesday had just been born.

Enid snorted as Wednesday very obviously rolled her eyes but quietly marvelled at the Addams seniors being so put together at a three AM surprise call to space. She could see where Wednesday got it from.

Hopefully Enid would learn that in time.

They were at the communal centre of the ship at this point and Wednesday gestured over to the couch. Gomez and Morticia made themselves comfortable in the middle as Wednesday shot the military personnel a glare. For them she gestured to the stainless-steel chairs and dining table. Enid offered them a consolatory shrug as she made her way over to the coffee machine only to find four cups of already poured beverages on the draining tray.

They were each under a spigot but still…

‘Thing, how’d you do that?’ Enid grinned as she grabbed two handles with each hand.

Theremin sounds.

‘What was that?’ a soldier asked from just behind Enid. She barely restrained the reflex to throw hot coffee in their face. Because that was probably how the next “incident” would start and Enid could not bear starting it this time.

‘Oh, that’s Thing’ Gomez chuckled from the couch. ‘Thing old boy, introduce yourself.’

Ping ping.

‘You’ll forgive him of course’ Gomez continued to the confused soldiers. ‘He just gets shy around strangers.’

‘Don’t coddle him’ Wednesday groused.

‘Coddle nothing? I’ve just missed the old chap. No one gives quite as good a chess game since.’

It continued in that vein as Enid and the military police looked at each other.

‘May I?’ the soldier asked, gesturing at the coffee with their scanner, which connected a wide emitter to a display by a thick cable.

‘Sure’ Enid offered, holding out the mugs. ‘But do people really try and sneak stuff out in the coffee?’

‘It only has to happen once’ the soldier answered with a grin. Their name-badge listed them as Pvt. Adedayo. Enid gave them a second look. They seemed nice and not too put out by the whole situation.

The scan was a bit slow for Enid, who was holding boiling hot mugs. But Pvt. Adedayo gave her a pass and she thanked him as made her way back over to the Addams.

Wednesday and her mother were chatting about small things as Gomez and Thing carried on an animated conversation. Thing’s “voice” came from a small section of wall rather than the whole space. It was the first time Enid had seen him talk like this, but it made sense for private conversations.

‘So my dears’ Morticia interrupted, looking between Wednesday and Enid. ‘How has your relationship progressed? You’re so private on our calls but as a mother I worry. Has Wednesday been kind to you dear?’

‘She’s perfect, and she has treated me with kindness from the day we met’ Enid answered immediately. Turning from Morticia, she caught Wednesday’s eye. Both to smile, and to subtly sign.

With hands in front of her waist, she tapped the back of her left hand, or more specifically, the back of her left ring finger. They had no ring yet. Enid would have been happy with a twist of wire but Wednesday insisted there was a ring back on the estate Enid absolutely must have.

However, it was a question.

Was Wednesday ready for her parents to know?

Wednesday’s brain leapt into immediate high gear. It was good to see her parents again, more than she had been expecting. Her father’s warmth even as he seemed somehow... smaller than she remembered. Her mother’s calm and even tone. She had missed these things.

But this was not how she had seen it happening. In her head they would be on the estate, on the veranda looking over the swamp, and she would inform the family over breakfast.

Not on the ship, in front of two unwanted and unwelcome soldiers.

And yet Enid looked so excited. And... Wednesday was too. And would there be a better opportunity to share the news?

Wednesday inclined her head in a nod.

‘Oh Gomez’ Morticia stage whispered, leaning on her husband. ‘They can already communicate without words.

‘Ah! Mi amor, remember when we...’

‘We’re engaged’ Enid squealed. ‘Me and Wednesday!’

And then the chaos erupted. Gomez immediately gave Enid a broad embrace and Wednesday smiled. Enid and her father collided like two boulders, embracing freely and happily. That pleased her to the core.

Then her father was turned to her and going in for a hug and she found the smile falling from her face. Still, she could hardly evade her father and as she put her arms around his still strong frame she could admit;

This was nice.

‘I’m so happy for you, mi hija.’

‘Gracias, papa.’

And she really was. She was so grateful for the life she had been given. Her parents and world and the freedom to find what she needed. And now, she could come home.

Wednesday felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder as her mother leaned over and left the barest breath of a kiss on her temple before rising to embrace her new daughter.

‘I wanted to let you get to know me better before we told you’ Enid was babbling, even though she had been the one to crack immediately.

‘What else do we need to know?’ Morticia chuckled, embracing Enid immediately. Wednesday was somewhat amused to see how that bypassed even Enid’s normally manic tactility before it reasserted itself to return the hug. ‘You make our daughter happy. That’s enough.’

Wednesday knew that they had likely been digging into Enid’s history since the day Wednesday picked her up, but the sentiment was still nice.

A moment of silence.

‘The hell is that?’ one of the soldiers suddenly barked. And Wednesday definitely heard the sound of a gun leaving its holster.

Damn, and it had been going so well.

Chapter Text

Wednesday tapped her father on the shoulder and he rose with a sigh, even as he pulled a knife from within his coat. Wednesday could only offer a small smile as a knife dropped down her sleeve and into her palm. They had both gone for the lighter throwing knives this time.

When she had sight of the situation she sighed. She really should have expected this but it had slipped her by.

In the corridor, one holding a brush and the other a vacuum cleaner, were a pair of the arthropoda bound to her.

‘Those are mine’ she called out to the soldiers, who were glancing between her and the arthropods like she was mad. She really disliked when soldiers did that to her. And why so often?

‘What she means is...’ Enid started before coming to a halt. Apparently, she had nothing either. She had moved between the soldiers and the bugs though, who unconcernedly continued to vacuum.

‘You have... alien dignitaries sweeping your floors?’ the soldiers clarified.

‘Not these ones. Or... I mean... look it’s really complicated’ Enid threw her hands up. ‘Can you put the guns away? Because I’m getting a bit of a complex about people pulling guns on me.’

Wednesday did think about whether she should throw the knife. She had worked out that Enid did not like Wednesday’s first solution being violence. And it had started to bring diminishing returns.

But from the corner of her eye she caught her father’s movement and this really worked better with two of them.

Both of them cast their knives. Targets picked out unspoken between the two. Gomez’s knife sunk into the forward soldier’s wrist lengthwise while Wednesday’s punched through the back of the hand of the rear soldier.

A left-handed soldier... huh.

The pair at least avoided screaming, both going for their back up weapons but with the guns off of Enid, the blonde woman had shot forward and caught both around the waist, swinging them up in the air before slamming them back down into the floor so hard the whole room rang.

Wednesday really loved her fiancé.

‘Peace’ Enid huffed, standing up just enough to check the soldiers faces. It took a while before they could focus enough to understand but they did. They nodded and Enid shot Wednesday a smile. It took a moment for her to remember to be angry but when she pouted it was fine. Enid was cute that way too.

‘Did you really have to knife them?’ Enid sighed.

Wednesday just gestured to her father who looked shocked at Wednesday before turning back and forth between the two girls.

‘They drew guns on you’ he cried indignantly.

Enid hung her head with a chuckle and looked to the soldiers.

‘Come on, let’s get you two patched up.’

Enid hoisted the soldiers up and cajoled them towards med-bay, the whole time chattering about how she hoped they weren’t too badly shaken and how sorry she was about the whole thing.

‘Such a nice girl’ Morticia commented, voice soft with endearment. ‘And you’re sure she’s not too soft for you? You do have such a cutting wit.’

‘Did you see that throw?’ Gomez whispered, leaning down like they were sharing a secret. ‘Like a luchador!’

‘She’s perfect for me’ Wednesday reassured her mother.

There was a moment of contemplation from Morticia before she nodded. ‘She does seem to have done wonders for you. And the two of you even have pets’ Morticia beamed, mincing over to the arthropods. The pair sent Wednesday a querying tone which she did not quite understand.

The “voices” of the arthropods to her were something more like radio static than speech. She could interpret differences in the underlying noise but it was Enid that truly understood them.

‘Still’ she instructed with a gesture as Morticia examined one. Both fell still as Gomez hopped over too.

‘Excellent discipline’ he noted.

‘They’re born with it’ Wednesday answered. ‘Their species is hyper cooperative with an administrative system built in. Which I’m hijacking.’

‘Fascinating’ Morticia answered, brushing the shell of the arthropod as she did so.

‘Hey!’ Enid shouted from not far away. ‘Come along. The soldiers need to keep an eye on you’

Wednesday rolled her eyes but started after Enid.

She realised her mistake of not complaining when her father and mother shared one of those disgusting cutesy sounds.

She had missed her family.

She insisted this to herself repeatedly.

Enid would have been more worried about dragging her future parents-in-law to the medical room to wait around while she treated the patients if she had nothing to do. The fact was, here she could show off a little. Normally, it was Wednesday treating Enid for something or scanning her to trace the effects of Bloodmoon in her system...

And killing that thought...

But this time Enid got to show that she had medical training! She found the stem-cell formula for the soldiers after checking their compatibilities. She grabbed out the gauze and the needle and thread, and after placing a local aesthetic on the wound, she kept up excellent bedside manner until both soldiers were patched up.

‘Give that a couple days and you should be back to normal’ Enid grinned to a very bemused private.

‘Very well done’ Gomez chuffed, walking over to examine the bandaging. ‘Field training?’

‘Eh, camp practice’ Enid shrugged, smiling. It felt nice when Gomez complimented her stitching, especially when he seemed to have been paying attention the whole time. He had even picked up the arm to examine the wrapping.

Although, she did notice the soldier, Pvt. Waterman, was quietly trying to extricate said arm from Gomez’s grip. Which was fair, he was the soldier Gomez put a knife in.

‘Oh, sorry about that by the way’ Gomez beamed, patting the soldier on the wound as he did so. Enid was so glad she applied that local anaesthetic. From somewhere Gomez had gotten a cigar and lit it already. An actual flame based cigar. Made of leaves!

‘If you like you could come to the estate next time you’re on leave’ Morticia noted from beside Wednesday.

‘Capital idea darling’ Gomez grinned, turning from the soldier who cautiously pulled back, moving away from all Addams to stand by his comrade. ‘If they like shooting, there’s the quarry...’

‘I don’t think that would be appropriate’ Pvt. Adedayo answered stiffly.

‘Oh... too bad’ Gomez deflated, seeming genuinely disappointed. ‘Still, I won’t press. You’re free to drop by anytime though.’

The soldiers nodded awkwardly before returning to stand watch by the door, none the worse for wear for their mild stabbing.

Enid looked at that thought in her head and wondered just how much of an influence on her Wednesday really had. Apparently too much if she considered any amount of stabbing to be “mild.”

Speaking of, Wednesday approached Enid and took her hand.

‘Enid...’ she started out loud before shooting her parents a suspicious glance.

Darling, Wednesday echoed in Enid’s head. If you would like to message your parents I can keep mine entertained for a few minutes.

Enid had been feeling antsy about that but it seemed like there was no good time to step away.

‘You sure?’

Wednesday shot her parents a hard look, followed by both older Addams rolling their eyes and turning around. She gave the same look to the soldiers who were slightly slower on the uptake but averted their gazes too.

Wednesday could certainly command a room.

Wednesday’s expression immediately softened and she brushed Enid’s cheek with one hand before pressing her head to Enid’s chest and giving her a tight squeeze.

‘It will be fine’ Wednesday promised. ‘I’ll even guarantee the interlopers suffer no further injuries.’

Ping.

‘Thing, you too’ Wednesday growled.

The lights flickered in fear.

Enid snorted and gave Wednesday a quick hug back.

‘I’ll be quick, promise.’

Enid walked past the soldiers who gave it a quick thought before stepping very clear. Their main job was to make sure the elder Addams didn’t leave with any contraband. Enid and Wednesday could wander freely.

-

Enid jogged to the bridge to record her message. There were other places she could do it but here was the best view and she was used to it. As Enid entered the bridge she felt a tightness in her chest. They were really back and soon she would see her parents again. That tightness was probably excitement. She was looking forward to it!

Probably…

No, definitely.

Despite the terms they had separated under, Enid had missed her parents badly when she first went to space. And though that ache had gotten smaller the longer she was away, every so often she found herself dearly wishing they were there. Wednesday somehow seemed to sense when Enid was in these moods and found her, but Wednesday and her family were very different.

For starters, Wednesday’s paranoia was very un-Sinclair. They shared basically everything and Wednesday’s insistence that Enid wait until they were close to send her prepared messages had hurt a little. Especially when Wednesday pulled the exact opposite actions the moment they were close, buzzing the perimeter defenses so badly they’d probably be trending online at this point.

Enid sat down at her station and pulled up the video application. In the history log sat the unsent messages she had prepared for her family. It had not been weekly but the closer they got, the more of these messages Enid had prepared. But now, there was no point hiding. She could send them now, right? The reasons Wednesday had given were gone now.

‘Can you get these sent while I’m figuring out what to say?’ Enid asked Thing, tapping at the filters so she didn’t look quite so pallid.

Thing gave a grinding gear noise response and a pop-up message blocked Enid’s view. In a variety of languages, it warned that this channel to the Earth network was restricted by the UWSA and all information submitted would be reviewed and possibly censored before being issued. They were being censored? Why?

‘What do they mean they’re reviewing my messages?!’

Ting ting crunch skitter whoosh.

‘We know the bugs aren’t a secret. Eugene’s literally been having back and forth with them... if slowly.’

Enid still remembered how panicked Eugene had first looked when he sent them a message saying the UWSA was asking him to prepare a primer on the bugs language and asked them to look it over. Turned out he had asked literally everyone he knew but Enid still appreciated the message.

But yes, the truth was fully out there. Enid understood trying to restrain the passage of biological material but her DMs?

‘Can’t you just like... direct line my parents?’

Police-sirens

‘Yeah... I mean I guess that would be a crime...’

Enid leaned back and covered her eyes. It was just frustrating. Or maybe she was tense. She had no idea how her family would react. Scratch that, she knew exactly how here family was going to react and it was stressful! But they should hear she was okay. From her.

‘Alright, fine. I’ll just record something short and we’ll send it through them. They can look if they want.’

tire screech

Enid removed the hands from her eyes and looked up. On screen a very obvious loading bar was almost finished filling.

‘Thing..?’

mmhmm

‘Did you just commit a crime?’

...ping.

Enid groaned as she leaned forward. She really should not have paused when Thing told her it would be a crime. In this family, that silence was basically encouragement! Wednesday wouldn’t have hesitated to bypass such inconvenience as a government mandated gag order.

Whirr?

‘Wednesday would totally have done it, wouldn’t she?’ Enid mumbled, chin on the desk.

Ping!

‘Then no worries’ Enid grinned. ‘We’ll just blame it on her?’

Tinkle tinkle

This family is weird, Enid thought to herself. But they’re mine.

Chapter Text

Enid, after a few breaths to recover from the casual breaking of the law, sat at the console mulling over what sort of message she should send. She was finally close enough that they could actually have a call, with no week-long lag, but she found herself oddly… reluctant to have that be their reintroduction.

She wanted to speak to them face to face. Her parents were no doubt expecting a call the moment she was in system. But given that it was… 5:55 in the morning where they were, the military was monitoring communications and they had rejected the Addams call, they would probably understand.

Well, dad would anyway.

Enid took a beat to compose herself then threw herself into things.

‘What’s up? I’m alive and also back. I’ll call once the government lets me out of quarantine.’

As always, Enid found it impossible to begin this conversation seriously. There were always a half dozen tried and discarded cavalier lines spoken to the air. Or to Thing, but he would never judge her for it.

But try as she might, Enid couldn’t come down from cavalier to serious. Nothing felt… right. How did she even begin? Did she address the storm she had left in, but everyone seemed to have moved on from that now. Even her silly siblings seemed happy now, although their most recently downloaded messages were worries due to Enid’s radio silence.

Should Enid try calling one of them first to gauge how to talk to her parents? Would Eden be okay to wake up? She had always been a morning person.

As Enid was pondering, procrastinating, one of Thing’s alerts started sounding. A familiar classical ringing phone noise that indicated someone was trying for a call. Enid’s thoughts immediately went to their little illegal sidestep.

‘Did they catch us sending stuff around the blockade?’ Enid asked, leaning back to look at the main screen where a black phone icon was shown over the Earth. She could probably pretend it had been an honest mistake.

Bzz, Thing responded but somehow it was more agitated than usual. He fired off a set of sounds too fast for Enid to interpret before abandoning subtlety and just putting the call on main screen.

A black screen. A ringing phone indicator in white. And above that, Enid’s mother’s face in a circular icon.

Thing had not picked a flattering a picture for this.

But more importantly, Enid’s mother was calling right now!!!

‘Oh stars! Oh pulsars! Why is she calling now? How is she calling now?!’

Thing put on screen a cartoonish picture showing him beaming his signal through to something ground based but that was too far from Enid’s thoughts. Her parents did not have a phone for spaceships! What the hells was going on?

Tick tock tick tock tick to...

‘Not helping Thing!’

Enid ran up to the centre of the bridge and hesitated for a few more seconds.

‘Okay, okay. This is fine. Lights up and accept the call.’

Enid winced as the bridge lights went from dull red to warm yellow, shading her eyes. After so long with Wednesday even Enid was used to lower lights but now wasn’t the time. She had to talk to her mother!

‘…Kiddo?’

‘Dad?’

Enid’s eyes blurred as they focused on screen. Not her mother, her father, staring back at her.

‘Daddy!’

‘Enid!’

It was a terrible angle. Her father was clearly holding a smartphone or tablet, too low and looking up at his greying beard. But it was him!

‘Heavens sent... kiddo, where are you? How are we...’

‘I’m in orbit dad! I’m here.’

Her father almost dropped whatever he was using and Enid got a glimpse of the room around him. It was the sitting room of the apartment he and her mother had last moved into. Outside the window it was still dark and the lights of the rest of the city glowed through the blinds. But that was not the only thing she saw.

She saw Edgar’s guitar on a stand in the corner. Some of Emmerson’s photos on a digital frame on the side table. And when her father picked up the tablet, she saw the bit of the ceiling she and Elias had knocked through trying to out-jump each other the winter before she left. The plaster had never quite matched after.

‘You’re back? Here? How?’

Enid grinned. ‘You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Why are you awake?’

‘Our phones started blowing up and I wanted to take them out before your mother woke. Esther’s not been sleeping well lately. She’s...’ he gasped, grasping at his beard. ‘I should wake her!’

Enid almost told him not to, saw him rise from his seat, but then he paused. He stared, off where the window would be. Not frightened, but pensive.

‘Dad?’ Enid prompted. Her mother had always been this unshakable thing, but when Enid’s dad had gotten sick she had seen how much of that was a mask. When Enid vanished, had that... distressed her? Enid couldn’t even conceive it. ‘How has she been?’

‘She’s holding. But this has been rough on her. Between you vanishing and Edgar and Emmerson’s new deployments she can’t check in on anyone as much as she would like. I think Eden chewed her out last time she showed up on campus’ Murray added ruefully.

While Enid found the idea of Eden, her no longer “little” sister, chasing their mother off amusing she still felt guilty. She didn’t know what her brothers had been doing, but she had just vanished on them. No warning. No signs. Just as her parents were made aware that bounty hunters had raised targets on their daughter’s head.

‘I’m sorry’ Enid whispered.

‘Wasn’t you’ Murray answered gruffly, scratching at his beard. He always did that when he was worried, Enid remembered ruefully. Made him look like a dog scratching at their scruff.

‘I didn’t warn you guys before I... we...’ Enid struggled to slow her thoughts enough her mouth could keep up. ‘Okay, so we went off the galactic edge to get away from the hunters, but it made us travel so much faster. I meant to tell you guys, but there’s no signal out there and I didn’t realise we wouldn’t be able to...’

Her father listened quietly as Enid rambled about everything that had gone wrong. As was his way. Just listened while she came apart, because she could. Because her dad was there.

But he had his own problems.

‘What about you guys?’ Enid interrupted herself, brushing tears from the corner of her eyes. ‘Has Crackstone been pressuring you still?’

‘Not recently’ her dad grumbled. ‘Last time we received anything was a few months ago. Just before the UWSA told us about the bounty.’

That timing smelled to Enid, and her father must have seen it to.

‘You don’t think...’

There were warning alarms from the phone he was holding as his grip squeezed down.

‘I’ve a lot to tell you dad. Stuff I probably shouldn’t say over the phone. We’re being quarantined up here for a bit but I’ll come home as soon as I can. But don’t worry. Now that I’m here, we’ll keep in touch.’

He nodded.

‘Murray’ Enid heard her mother’s voice. ‘Why are you still up?’

‘Enid on the phone’ Murray called back. A moment later Enid heard what sounded very much like a door being smashed through and the phone was being ripped out of her father’s hands. It was very disconcerting considering how big the screen was.

‘Enid!’ her mother screeched, before realising how she must have sounded. To Enid’s father, Esther whispered loudly, ‘Why didn’t you wake me?’

Murray must have answered non-verbally because Enid didn’t hear a response but she took the moment to look at her mother. A morning person, Esther had never been. Her hair was a frightful mess, already going grey and dry. She hadn’t put any makeup on but Enid thought maybe the wrinkles were worse than when she had left. Stress?

‘Mom!’ Enid beamed, projecting as much positive energy as she could. It looked like her mother could use it. ‘I’m back!’

‘You’re back. My baby girl... But, where have you been?’

‘Space’ Enid shrugged. ‘We took a shortcut back so I’m in orbit now. I’ll be down to see you guys as soon as we clear quarantine.’

‘Quarantine? Are you sick?’

‘No no no’ Enid shook her head. ‘Nothing like that. It’s just because we’re transporting alien species. They need to go all out. And we did arrive a few months early.’

‘I’ll say’ Esther smirked, but it looked pained. ‘But you couldn’t even message?! I’ve been worried sick.’

‘I really couldn’t! I had all these messages, you’ve probably got them now, that I was trying to send but, no signal.’

The excuse felt weak. Enid knew there had been a time where Earth wasn’t surrounded by communication uplinks but around the edge of her screen were the sky-nets of communication satellites. Most of them linked by millimetre thin cables to make sure none fell out of orbit or were displaced.

‘Well, you’re back now that’s what is important. No one’s been able to...’

Briiinnng briiinnng briiinnng

‘What is that’ Esther snapped.

Enid looked in the corner where Thing had put up the UWSA ship, Wolf-at-the-Gates, in another call symbol.

‘That’s the UWSA. Give me a sec? Thing, put them through.’

Esther looked incensed but managed to hold her tongue as the screen split and a man in lieutenant’s uniform was looking at Enid.

‘Ms Sinclair, our systems indicate your ship transmitter is on but we’re not getting anything on the quarantine net. Please clarify.’

Damn. Enid tried to come up with an excuse that would fit while on screen, Thing plastered over both calls the word DENY.

‘Quarantine net?’ Enid asked blankly. ‘I’m just on a call with my parents.’

Thing facepalmed, or would have if he had bothered to project a face to match the hand.

‘Ms Sinclair. We received confirmation that your ship tried to connect to the earth-net and you received notification that all communications are to go through quarantine.’

‘Enid, what is he talking about?’

‘One minute mom. Are you talking about the pop-up?’ Enid lied through her teeth. ‘I don’t read pop ups. I just closed it and asked the ship to call my parents.’

Enid put on her most innocent face and waited. True to history, it worked as the lieutenant looked uncomfortably around.

‘Ms Sinclair, and senior Sinclairs if they’re hearing this, your ship is under an information lockdown as well as a physical quarantine. All calls and communications are to be through our servers, where they will be observed. Please disable your transmitters and refrain from connecting to any networks. We will be sending someone to your parents to examine anything you sent through.’

Enid winced.

‘Sorry mom, dad.’

‘It’s fine dear,’ Esther sniffed. ‘You were just letting us know that you were back. We’ll call soon. Okay?’

‘Yes mom.’

Thing dropped that call and Enid faced the lieutenant.

‘Sorry about that sir.’

‘Just don’t let that happen again. And check your ship for viruses. Connecting to unapproved networks can be dangerous.’

They dropped the call on her at that point and Enid collapsed into the captain’s chair.

‘Whew... well that could have gone worse.’

Weewoo.

‘Think we got away with it though?’

Ping.

‘Right well...’ Enid didn’t really know what to follow that up with. She was just mentally exhausted now. She should go back now, mission done, but she just needed a minute to herself. However, after her heart stopped racing, she noticed that the chair smelled of Wednesday. She had never actually sat in this one before. After all,

‘That’s my chair’ Wednesday whispered, interrupting Enid’s musings. She snapped to her feet immediately, even as Wednesday gave a wry smile from the doorway. Her smile fell a moment later.

‘Are you alright’ she asked, with genuine concern. ‘Thing said your mother called.’

It took Enid a moment to figure out why that would concern Wednesday. But Wednesday had some very strong feelings on how Enid’s mother expressed affection. Enid didn’t love it herself, but she did love the grumpy old woman so she put up with it.

Enid gave a grin and shook her head. She was fine. Her mother was not this monster Wednesday imagined, and soon the two would meet. Then all this misunderstanding could be sorted out.

Or they would kill each other.

Enid bounced to the door and gave Wednesday a hug, exhaustion forgotten.

Chapter Text

Wednesday had a visceral dislike of being held accountable for her actions. She recognised this was an unreasonable position to hold, given how often she held others to account. That did not make the feelings go away.

However, partially glassing a planet tended to make people very judgemental. So she braced to deal with that.

An emergency session of the United Worlds response team dealing with Wednesday had been convened, of which the members looked as happy to be there as Wednesday was. She judged them for that, as from what she could see they had sunlight coming in the windows and local time was a brisk 8am.

For herself, she would quite like to be asleep, preferably with Enid at her side, and had not been anticipating a very rude summons to this call.

The summons was a two-fold meeting between the UWSA assigned to manage Earth’s first contact with this alien intelligence, and legal council regarding Wednesday’s alleged war-crimes on Rasczack. Wednesday knew her family had already begun smoothing things over on that front but as the person of interest, they needed to assess her.

The Secretary-General of the UWSA had not bothered to appear herself, instead sending the Under-Secretary Scott Gorman in her place. He was flanked by a liaison from the United-Worlds-Business-Council, Burke, who looked like a corporate plant if Wednesday had ever seen one, and Dr Silberman their “communications specialist” who looked to be the only person excited to be there, even if he couldn’t tie a tie to save his life.

The remainder was made up by lawyers and security advisors, of whom Wednesday promptly forgot the names as unimportant. If they mattered, Thing could provide their information in overlay at the tap of a button. Even those she had listed would likely have their names and faces forgotten as soon as the call ended.

The openings were introductions and the offer for Wednesday to bring Enid on the call, but malicious as Wednesday was, she would not make Enid sit through this nonsense.

Enid had been sent with her parents to fetch Fester to deposit safely back on Earth. Once the military auditors ensured there was no alien biology on Fester’s person. Which should be fun for their sensors. Fester would probably enjoy it.

‘Ms Addams?’

Wednesday looked up at the screen, dragging her attention back to these persons of no interest.

‘Do we have your attention?’ Gorman asked, none too lightly.

‘Undivided, Under-secretary’ Wednesday answered coldly.

‘Excellent. Now, the landing zone for our visitors’ he called them that with great disdain, ‘is not yet prepared. It would be best if they were immediately put in a military holding facility but I’m informed you have allowed your ship to be infested?’

‘A sub-group was deemed no longer able to live with the main hive and it was politely suggested they be remanded to my care’ Wednesday answered flatly. ‘As a consequence, they are also in the habitat portion of my ship.’

‘Hmph’

Gorman looked quite miffed at that, turning to address Burke but Silberman quickly grabbed at his elbow, not noticing the dismay of the under-secretary at that gesture.

‘Ask more questions. Why are they..?’

‘This is not a scientific panel, Dr Silberman. This assembly has been convened to discuss how Ms. Addams and her cargo are to be treated due to the ongoing legal filings against her, compounded with Earth’s interests in alien life.’

A small debate broke out at the head of the table. Wednesday kept her eyes from rolling and instead focused in on the others at the table. The legal consuls seemed to be in their own debate from the beginning, while the members of the security teams were individually waiting in bored silence, save for one who was surreptitiously playing some sort of game on his AR visor.

‘Ms Addams’ Gorman called her attention back. ‘Given your multiple out-standing charges and the volatile nature of your cargo, we believe it would be best you submitted yourself to UW custody while your ship is impounded for...’

‘No’ Wednesday answered flatly. She wasn’t even annoyed at his blatant over-reach. Just bored.

‘No...’ he sputtered, clearly not expecting to be so roundly dismissed.

‘The UW and the court of human rights have raised no charges against me, so there is no reason for me to submit myself to your custody. As I will not be submitting myself to your custody, then impounding of my ship is a violation of my rights under article 14734b.’

‘Charges can be filed’ Gorman growled, ruining the effect by glancing to Burke who nodded encouragingly.

Wednesday tapped at the keyboard next to her feeding Thing instructions to put an overlay on one of the lawyers who was quickly scrolling through their tablets.

‘But none have’ Wednesday responded. ‘Mrs Epatha Merkerson, please confirm my rights as ship-captain under 14734b’

The woman startled, looking uncomfortable to have been called attention to. Looking around the room uncertainly she stood up and answered.

‘She is technically correct. Under 14734b and 14735d we can’t just declare her ship impounded without getting a higher-court judgement that her contents represent a deeper threat to Earth’s ecosphere, unless she tries to pilot in directly when we could then....’

‘Thank you miss’ Burke interrupted, standing and suggesting with his eyes that the lawyer sit down.

‘Ms Addams’ he addressed her, glancing at Gorman for permission but not waiting to receive it before continuing. ‘The fact is that you’ve multiple outstanding civil filings from the Crackstone corporation compounded on...’

‘Which will be handled by my family lawyers’ Wednesday answered smoothly. ‘Unless you’re suggesting the UWSA is merely an arm of corporate interests?’

Wednesday tilted her head while Burke’s mouth opened and closed like a particularly stupid goldfish.

‘In that case sit down you little toad of a man.’

Burke did sit but Gorman stood in his place.

‘Now listen here you little... Ms. Addams. You will address this body with the respect it...’

The conference was interrupted on their end with the sound of a door slamming open. Everyone on screen turned to look but the door was off-screen for Wednesday so she waited.

A woman Wednesday could only describe as statuesque started striding around the conference table. Pale in every respect from skin to hair, wearing all white and of such height that her waist was at head height of those seated she passed, she walked across the screen to Under-Secretary Gorman who glared at her with barely plastered on civility.

‘Madam Secretary’ he smiled rigidly.

‘Under-secretary’ she answered with a voice that projected warmth. Wednesday could not see her face or hands but something was clearly communicated as Gorman departed his seat and marched from the chamber.

‘Terribly sorry for the interruption’ the woman who could only be Larissa Weems smiled, ‘and my lateness. I’m afraid the staff had a little trouble reaching me.’

The smile that flickered over the room would have been convincingly warm if everyone else had not shivered. An excellent actor then.

Wednesday immediately reviewed the call up to this point. Gorman’s blunt dislike of Wednesday and the aliens she carried. His deference to the business liaison on his right. His obvious lack of charisma. And now Wednesday was presented with his superior and opposite in almost every way. A woman who was very obviously an actor of some skill.

A ploy to put Wednesday in favour of this woman? Or a ploy against a third party? Burke looked pleasantly surprised but was maintaining a façade so that told Wednesday little. Silberman looked annoyed to have been ignored for so long but was passing the Secretary-General a tablet of scribbled notes, presumably questions.

‘I don’t suppose anyone could fetch me a transcript? And a latte?’

Someone immediately ran over with a transcript which the Secretary-General started reading through even as she addressed Wednesday. Actor or no, Wednesday appreciated the competence.

‘Ms Addams, so pleasant to finally speak directly. I’ll admit I was surprised to receive no response to my messages but I’m lead to understand no one was getting any responses?’

An olive branch this early? The woman was certainly laying it on thick. If they worked out Wednesday’s position they would know she had responded at least to Eugene and Rasczack. And the whole debacle with the Pilgrim’s Hat.

‘We weren’t in a position to communicate much. Corporate interference.’

An aggressive opening, to gauge where this woman truly stood.

Burke to Weems left opened their mouth, only for their face to become a sudden rictus of pain. Wednesday wasn’t sure whether anyone else had noticed but she did notice Weems arm shifting. One hand on the desk with the transcript, the other disciplining the representative of business interests even as she answered,

‘I’d be cautious making such bold claims without proof Ms Addams. However, let’s get this meeting back on track shall we?’

Not an open collaborator then. Wednesday was inclined to think Weems was on Wednesday’s side over corporate interests. Still, it could be a ploy. Too early to say.

Still, Wednesday could work with this.

Enid had stayed up until Wednesday’s call was done. Gomez and Morticia, lovely people that they were, had taken their shuttle back down with Fester safely tucked in the hold. The military police had needed to put Fester in a full body scanner to make sure he was clean, for relative values of clean, but relented that nothing was being smuggled.

They remained on board, although locked in the hangar. Enid had learned some lessons from Wednesday.

Enid put her tablet down as Wednesday entered her room, already showered from the looks of it and eyes tired.

‘Anything I should know?’ Enid asked as Wednesday made her way directly over and joined her in bed.

‘Nothing that won’t wait for the morning’ Wednesday answered tiredly, placing a soft kiss on Enid’s lips and tangling their hands together. ‘You didn’t have to wait up for me.’

Enid shrugged and kissed her back. It was received warmly but she could feel Wednesday was tiring. She lacked the usual hunger.

‘Let’s sleep’ Enid offered and Wednesday nodded. Thing turned off the lights and moments later the two were curled in comfortable sleep.

Chapter Text

Enid was bouncing with excitement as the two of them entered the shuttle. She couldn’t understand why Wednesday wasn’t more excited. They were finally going home. To Earth!

Wednesday looked like she was dragging her feet as she made her way through the shuttle’s storage space but even the sour look she shot Enid couldn’t spoil the mood. Enid hadn’t been back for a year and a half and according to Wednesday she hadn’t been back in closer to six. LV-426 had been a blasted wasteland and Rasczack an overly bright jungle full of hostile aliens but Earth? This was where humans belonged.

Enid was already clipped into her seat, still bouncing when Wednesday finally began warming up the engines.

Thing gave a disconsolate whine from the dashboard.

‘We’ll be back soon’ Enid reassured him. ‘Just some formalities, a couple meetings, and we’ll be back before you know it.’

They needed to come back to move the hives, so they weren’t going to be too long, and after that they would be able to bring Thing down with them to properly meet the family. He was apparently preparing to transfer down but would be calling in frequently until then. Still, it wouldn’t be the same as him being there with them. And he was going to be lonely.

Thing gave some mopey boops.

‘Don’t sulk’ Wednesday stated flatly, clipping herself in. ‘It’s undignified.’

Pbbbbtttt

‘Love you too,’ Enid answered, patting the console. ‘We’ll miss you.’

Enid looked to Wednesday as outside the ship, the hangar door started to open. Wednesday glanced over a moment later and looked Enid straight in the eye.

‘I’m not saying either of those things.’

Pbbt.

‘Behave. And I’ll take you music shopping later.’

Ping ping.

Enid smiled at their unique relationship as Wednesday and Thing worked through the take off together. The manoeuvres were made awkward because the monitoring ship from the Wolf-at-the-Gates took off ahead of them, heading back to their mothership, but the two competently guided Wednesday out and they began steering towards Earth.

Earth, for all that Enid had lived there her whole life, looked so foreign from this angle. On the dark side, huge networks of lights ran forming lines and circles so enormous and strange they could almost be alien. On the day side, clouds spiralled over familiar oceans and land masses. Enid shuffled higher into her seat to see her city. It was just barely visible as an unnatural splotch but still tiny compared to the vastness of the surface.

On screen behind them, the monitoring ships closed around Thing. Not actually close but in space-terms crowding him. It was for his security and the precious cargo he maintained but Enid still frowned as she saw him.

‘We’ll be back’ Wednesday promised and Thing’s centre seemed to wink with light.

Enid looked forward again and took in more of the planet. Regularly spaced around the more middle lattitudes were space elevators, shooting from the ground like enormous metal trees, impossibly slender cables running up to orbital platforms where produce was brought up and down. Even as she glanced over, an asteroid miner was docking at the Brazil space-dock ready to deliver a fresh stock of rare-earth minerals down.

Below that level, but still far above the surface, ran the sky-net. A network of satellites, bound by monofilament cables at the low to medium orbital range. Each a razor thin ring of interconnected communications satellites, all pulling each other up and keeping in formation such that the whole world was kept in constant communications. The filaments between them were only for rescue or guidance, should one fail, but each of those enormous computational devices flew more or less on its own, connecting all of humanity in one big network.

In Enid’s pocket, her phone, disabled for a year and a half, gave a small buzz as it reconnected to that network. Enid gave Wednesday a surreptitious glance before pulling out the device and glancing at the screen. Charged and ready, it began downloading two years of updates.

‘Tsk…’

Enid glanced up at Wednesday but the other girl was looking away, pretending she hadn’t just caught Enid with her phone.

‘Just making sure it still works’ Enid winced.

‘Of course...’

Wednesday was adjusting their approach. The Skynet was an enormous engineering project, but the cables were also something you had to consider when flying in. The gaps were tens of kilometres across, but hit one and you were in for a bad time. And likely a lot of complaints from the crews that would have to repair it.

Enid tucked her phone away and looked out the window at Earth again.

‘It is beautiful’ Enid murmured.

Wednesday’s only response was a short grunt.

‘You have to admit…’

‘I need do nothing of the sort’ Wednesday answered shortly but she did glance up for a moment, as the world grew to fill their forward screen. ‘But…’

They sat in companionable silence for a few breaths before Wednesday went back to her work.

‘It has been some time since I took the opportunity to appreciate it’ Wednesday offered after a few moments more.

Enid left it at that and continued her own witnessing until Wednesday pulled the shuttle nose up and they braced for re-entry. Enid was reminded of her first time entering a stormy planet with Wednesday. She had been scared as the fire engulfed the shuttle, but now it was just… something that happened. She gazed out the windscreen as superheated plasma flew by at the speed of re-entry and just felt… safe.

She turned her gaze back to Wednesday with a smile and though Wednesday did seem a bit confused, she offered a small smile back.

Wednesday brought their ship out of free-fall and into a controlled glide just as the sky turned blue. The plasma vanished as their speed reduced and she found Thing already re-establishing connection. He was also warning her that they were under surveillance.

Which she had known would come.

She had thrown too many stones in too many ponds to be left alone, even if she had not been bringing alien life into near-earth orbit.

‘Are we being followed?’ Enid asked. ‘Thought you gave people space during re-entry.’

‘Just some surveillance from the UWSA’ Wednesday answered, confirming their identity tag just to be sure. It would not do to get complacent just as they got close to home.

Enid gave a grumpy harrumph.

‘If you like, we could lead them into a dark alley and jump them.’

‘Oh my stars, it was one time’ Enid groaned, grinning at the shared memory. ‘No. If it’s official let’s just leave them be.’

Wednesday inclined her head and directed their flight towards the family compound. The Addams family existed over much of the Earth and human space, but this location was special to them. Not sacred, or anything so defined, but an Addams home had been there for as long as recorded history and no one was quite sure when House had become self-aware. If the Addams had an origin, where they were going was it.

When they arrived at the perimeter of the Addams compound the fighter peeled away and Enid sat up.

‘Why are they going?’ Enid asked, seeing them vanish on-screen.

‘Because we’ve just entered Addams airspace’ Wednesday answered. Enid was immediately out of her seat and peering out the windows.

‘I can’t see!’ Enid whined.

‘Do you want me to flip the shuttle’ Wednesday asked, trying to remember if it was designed to fly upside down. She suspected not while in atmosphere. Although perhaps briefly? The majority of the grav-jets were bottom mounted.

‘No… it’s fine’ Enid sighed, returning to her seat.

Wednesday was trying to solve the problem when Thing put the lower cameras on Enid’s screen and she could start watching. Wednesday returned her focus to the landing but already she felt unsettled. Enid was excited to be back home and unlike Enid’s, Wednesday’s family was delightful. So why was Wednesday unsettled?

It took her a moment to realise what it was. The noise that wasn’t noise, tingling in the back of her mind. Had she heard it even as a child, the muddle of so many people forming a constant morass even this far out? It was impossible to know. The crushing weight of billions of minds, only now she could push back.

‘Are you okay?’ Enid asked. ‘You have your thinking face on.’

Wednesday smiled.

‘Of course, I’m home.’

Enid stood in the hold, bag over her shoulder, trying to figure out what to do with her nervous energy. Wednesday was nervous too, even if she feigned boredom. Enid could see the minute twitches of her fingers as the doors to the hold swung down. There were smaller doors but like her parents, Wednesday liked to make an entrance.

The ramp descended smoothly although no theme music blared. And when it clanged down at the bottom Wednesday’s family was there waiting. Enid’s family too, soon.

Enid took in each in turn. Gomez had put on a different pin-striped suit but Morticia could have been wearing the same dress as before. Fester was there too, now dressed in an enormous grey coat that only seemed to emphasize his hunch and refrigerator body. But two new people stood on the landing pad as well.

Lurch, for there was no one else it could be, was even taller than the recordings seemed to have made him. For all that Wednesday and Enid were on a ramp and Enid was no longer short, the man seemed to stand level with her his hair was greyer than the recordings but his gaunt skin seemed to only have deepened whatever wrinkle already existed. His shoulders were wide and his arms dangled down his sides to hands that looked like they could palm a medicine ball. Enid didn’t care what Wednesday said, that man was augmented.

Stood next to Lurch was a young man with a shaved head and a build similar to his father. Pugsley had grown since the last recordings of him Enid had seen but he still dressed in a striped shirt and shorts, even though the wind that blew past them all was chilly.

Actually, the cold was the thing Enid noticed most immediately. She had been in temperature controlled environments for the last five months and the bright sun and chill air had her squinting and rubbing her arms.

‘Exploradoras, welcome home’ Gomez shouted, stepping up to the edge of the ramp but waiting for Wednesday’s invite before crossing the invisible border and joining them. ‘Mi hijas! You are cold. Lurch, the coats please?’

‘Grr…’ Lurch groaned as he made his way up the ramp to them in two looming steps. For all his mass though, he moved silently aside from the groan as he presented two large, black furred coats to the girls.

Wednesday took hers calmly but Enid had to struggle her duffle off her shoulder and somehow wound up passing her bag to the giant while pulling the coat on. It was too large for her, she felt dwarfed, but for all that it was comfortably warm.

She tried to take her bag back from Lurch but he tilted his head in confusion even if his face remained rigid. Actually, his face seemed stuck that way. Tetanus? No, the Addams would definitely have cured him if it was something that was hurting him.

‘Oh don’t worry, Lurch will take the bags’ Gomez insisted as Wednesday held her own suitcase up for the giant to take. Dear heavens he wrapped his hand around the whole case, not the handle. How big was he?

‘Thank you’ Enid mumbled shyly. The giant groaned again and Enid realised he was just like Thing. He didn’t speak English but the intent was there if you listened. The moment she put it that way, she felt a lot more comfortable about the giant.

‘Hey sis!’ Pugsley beamed, coming up and offering Wednesday a hug. Not going in but offering it if she was willing to take it up. When she did, he seemed almost as surprised as Enid although Wednesday kept it brief, slipping away before he could properly wrap his arms around her.

‘Good to see you too, brother’ Wednesday answered stiffly. Greetings continued for a moment during which Enid looked around. The landing pad was a raised concrete platform in the middle of what appeared to be a swamp. Already Enid could see birds returning even though the shuttle had landed mere minutes ago. They really must be used to it.

From the landing pad ran a raised path to a road of ramped earth, on which sat an idling car. The car was a classic. Shiny black and obviously polished regularly and when the Addams all piled in, surprisingly roomy. No limo but it allowed the four of them in the back to sit facing each other while Pugsley and Lurch rode in the front. When Enid asked where Fester would be, the answer was a simple point upwards and Enid heard the large man scramble into place on top of the car in the luggage rack.

Addams Addams Addams Enid reminded herself despite the worry in her gut as the car lurched into swift and sudden motion.

Chapter Text

The car had barely lurched into motion before Wednesday fell into a gentle slumber on Enid’s shoulder. While Enid tried her best to maintain her composure, inside she was screaming in happiness. Gomez and Morticia were both quietly whispering to each other and while Enid knew Wednesday would be mortified at having been seen like this, Enid wasn’t going to be the one to spoil the moment!

The road back to the Addams mansion was bumpy and ill kept, jostling them despite the car’s impressive suspension. To keep from staring at Wednesday too much while the woman’s parents were watching, Enid looked out the window at their surroundings.

The area around the landing pad was an, admittedly, grey and brown swamp thick with mud-bars and rushes. As Enid watched, a flock of birds rose up, diving low over the car and Enid heard an awkward squawk and cry as one had clearly rammed Fester who popped over the side to wave the bird like a prize to those inside. Enid didn’t like how the car lurched but she shushed Fester before he could exclaim, gesturing to Wednesday against her.

Fester’s mouth fully dropped and he almost dropped his prize too before returning to the roof of the car.

‘Psst’

Enid looked over to Morticia who gestured a quick question. Enid responded in as much sign language as she could manage with one hand.

She seems more tired than usual? Morticia signed, frowning.

She has been stressed. And her head is… Enid stumbled, she did not know how to sign all that they had found, especially with one hand. She is safe, we think, but tires easily.

Let us know how we can help Gomez gestured invectively. Where Morticia’s signs were neat and precise, Gomez went with much energy such that it was like a whole accent.

Enid nodded. We’ll tell you everything when we get to the house

She did not know how much Wednesday had told her parents. She couldn’t imagine Wednesday had kept it a secret but Wednesday was not the most communicative of persons even with Enid.

Wednesday would also hate to know this conversation had happened without her.

The parent Addams seemed satisfied with that and turned to commenting on how adorable the two of them looked together, embarrassing Enid to the point she thought her face might ignite. It wasn’t even necessarily to Enid, but just between each other and she was the unfortunate witness to a full conversation about her relationship with their daughter.

When they started talking about how different Wednesday seemed, Enid tried to change the topic to the two of them. Enid asked after how they had been and what they had been doing when the two of them got back but as Gomez and Morticia had been having an at-home date their attention quickly turned to asking about what Wednesday’s courtship had looked like.

Which was deeply personal but also sort of Enid’s favourite topic right now, so deeply conflicted, she told them a little about what dating in space had been like. Making time for their “dates,” improvising traditional romantic features and of course the constant threat of knives.

‘A wagging tongue is liable to be cut out’ Wednesday growled from Enid’s shoulder, sending pleasant thrums through her chest even as her hands immediately dropped to her lap.

‘I didn’t say a thing’ Enid answered archly.

‘Tattling hands too.’

‘Wednesday’ Morticia admonished.

‘Mi flor negra, how can you threaten your love with such a thing?’

Enid blushed, even as she realised Wednesday’s casually malicious tone had not come from her parents. If not, from whom had she picked it up?

‘She’s just playing’ Enid smirked, putting an arm around Wednesday who bristled like a cat. ‘Like when you two get started on fencing.’

‘Ah, my dear...’ Gomez turned to Morticia. ‘She knows us...’

‘Wednesday has home videos on file’ Enid answered the unasked question.

Morticia and Gomez turned to each other beaming even as Wednesday sat up with a grumbled repeat.

‘Wagging tongues...’

‘You can sleep a little longer’ Enid offered, already missing the feel of Wednesday against her.

‘No need, we’re here.’

How Wednesday had known would remain a mystery as the car pulled sharply to a stop. Quite sharply in fact as Enid shot a shocked glance at Lurch in the driver’s seat. But then Wednesday was opening the door and stepping outside.

Enid scrambled to follow but had barely stumbled out the door when she was struck by the size of the mansion. She had seen it from a distance, but she had been distracted during the approach and now she was faced with its enormity. Given the size of the compound around it, and the sheer mass of lands within the perimeter walls, Enid had pictured it as quite small in her head. Standing in front of it, she was forced to quickly revise that opinion.

A central tower of lapped grey wood had nearly the footprint of a large home, and from this sprouted two wings of the mansion, each three stories if the windows were any indication, although a tall three stories. At various points, not just on the roof, but at windows and seemingly random points on the wall, gargoyles and strange extensions sprouted. Even as Enid was looking lights flickered eerily in one of the upper windows.

The whole mansion was tall and gothic, radiating Addams energy. It was dark, strange but also inviting. But even as Lurch lifted her bag off the roof and the other Addams started for the front door, Enid was struck with a thought. This was a mansion. An actual mansion and here was where Wednesday had grown up. It was intimidating not for the lightning that struck it seemingly out of nowhere or the mists that surrounded it ignoring the sun, but the scale of the family she was marrying into.

Then Wednesday rubbed Enid’s back soothingly and Morticia asked if there were any favourite foods Lurch could prepare to welcome her back to Earth, and Enid realised she was being silly.

No matter how different she was from Wednesday, nor her family circumstances compared to the Addams, these people would accept her.

Enid hugged Wednesday tightly, ignoring the threat of stabbing while the other Addams pretended to look away and not see their daughter’s embarrassed flush.

Gomez opened the door ahead of Lurch and ushered the tall man in, the butler being forced to turn his shoulders so that he would fit through the more traditionally human dimensions of one half of the double doors.

'Feeling nervous?’ Wednesday asked as they made their way up to the door.

Enid almost denied it immediately but since Bloodmoon had been a consideration she tried to give Wednesday honest assessments about herself. Would she have to tell the Addams about that? Would it change their view of her?

Enid took a beat as they ascended the steps up the front door. Her heartrate felt a little elevated and her senses were buzzing with all the unfamiliar noises of midges, birds and water. Even the house seemed to thrum and creak to her. And Lurch’s huge bulk kept making her mildly twitchy.

‘Perhaps a little’

‘We’re back on Earth’ Wednesday whispered, placing her hand back-to-back with Enid’s. It wasn’t quite hand holding but it was contact and it helped steady her. ‘Things are louder here.’

That was an odd way to put it but Enid took the comforting in the spirit it was intended.

Then they were actually in the house and Enid had to put on a brave face at the wonders and terrors. A full-scale skeleton of a tyrannosaurus stood on a plinth, roaring at the front door. The hungry maw was filled with sharp teeth that faced the door and Enid hurriedly chased after Wednesday. Lurch was casually carrying their things up a grand staircase in the next room when Enid spotted the famous two headed turtle. It still looked alive, except for its total stillness.

‘You moved the dinosaur to the foyer’ Wednesday noted idly, as she passed in front of a twelve foot polar bear that lurched down at her. Enid had leapt to Wednesday’s defence when the stuffed bear stopped and had to awkwardly stumble past her lover.

‘Well with the children grown up we can put some of our more delicate pieces back out’ Morticia smiled, tone tinged with amusement. Wednesday scowled at the implication she might ever have broken something unintentionally but allowed her mother to brush her shoulder with a delicate hand.

Enid covered her stumble by taking Wednesday’s hand in her own and giving a squeeze.

‘Careful’ Pugsley warned as he walked past. ‘Her wrist knife holster has a hair trigger’

‘I fixed that’ Wednesday shot back.

‘Didn’t you tell me it was a feature, not a bug?’ Pugsley grinned smugly, turning to walk backwards.

Wednesday started to pull away from Enid in pursuit but Pugsley tripped over a rug, falling back on what Enid hoped was a faux grizzly bear skin given that it growled angrily.

‘You were saying, mother?’ Wednesday asked lightly.

Morticia just smiled, helping her son up.

Enid just watched. It was all so... familial. Warm. In this hall of strange and unusual they were just a family and she was part of it. She squeezed tighter on Wednesday’s hand and though the girl glanced at her slightly confused she did return the squeeze.

For the tour of the mansion Wednesday found herself flagging. It was strange. She was in a weakened state, such that she had passed out in the car on the way here, but she did not feel endangered. The people around her did not immediately seek to take advantage of her weakness or worse, pity her for it, and not for failure of noticing.

Her father took them through the mansion using the lift system rather than climbing the stairs, ostensibly because this order of floors was more entertaining but Wednesday knew he loved running guests ragged flying from the study to the conservatory to the attic.

Enid noticed, she always noticed, but she had learned to let Wednesday decide for herself when she was tired. As they passed through the small museum of Addams relics, Enid asked Gomez about his trains and Wednesday was safely insulated from conversation while her father expounded on the vast history of train crashes. A history of greater and greater speeds of heavy metal slamming into each other.

Mixed with some explosives.

The nostalgia fell over Wednesday heavily. She liked to think herself above such things but tired as she was she could admit there was comfort to being back here. The familiar mixed with just enough changes to keep her mind engaged. And her family, steady and warm at her side. The familiar mixed with the new in Enid. The conversations changed from the old tread by the introduction of someone new.

The rooms she had grown around changed to something new as Enid reacted to them. Amusingly in the case of Fester’s collection of torture instruments.

Wednesday felt as though she were in a dreamlike trance as she passed through the kitchens and the smell of a thousand years of Addams food wafted through her nostrils. No doubt some crumb of an ancient dish still resided in a forgotten corner here. And, despite re-models, some of the stains that were older than her still remained. Even the meal sat bubbling on the stove was familiar, as Lurch had learned many of his recipes from Grandmama.

Wait…

‘Where’s Grandmama’ Wednesday asked, eyes flickering around. Her grandmother was not the most social animal. Her not coming to meet Wednesday was no surprise. But there were some things that would never, should never change.

The cauldron in the corner was cold, the flame below it gone out and the ashes cleaned.  Now spiders made their lair within the cooking instrument, and would likely have provided a good base for the next batch of mystery stew. But the cauldron was only ever cold when her grandmother was travelling.

‘Ah…’ Morticia hesitated.

Wednesday’s eyes flickered from her father to her mother, both silently trying to decide who should deliver the news. She eventually settled on her brother who flinched from her gaze and looked East. East towards the graveyard.

No.

‘You would have told me if she died’ Wednesday bit out, feeling Enid flinch at her side. She knew they would. She had left but she was still family. They would have told her.

‘She’s not dead Blackheart,’ her father whispered, placing a hand gently on her shoulder before pulling back, ‘but she is very old.’

Wednesday’s head suddenly felt like a very quiet place.

‘She’s not able to move much. We were going to tell you later.’

Wednesday felt Enid’s arm start to go around her shoulders but she pushed it aside.

‘How long?’

‘A few months… maybe. We did not know if you would make it back in time’ Morticia answered softly. Wednesday’s brain was stuttering, and not just from the tiredness. If they had not made it back in time, what would have happened?

Her grandmother would have died, and Wednesday would not have seen it. Would have been… elsewhere. Death happened. Wednesday had always known it, was not afraid of it. But she would have been… sad.

‘Can we see her’ Enid asked as Wednesday’s silence extended.

‘She is stable for now,’ Morticia reassured them. ‘It would be no trouble if you visited her in the morning, after you had some rest.’

By which she meant she could see Wednesday flagging. Fire burned in Wednesday’s stomach as she forced her spine to straighten, her eyes to clear and her mind to operate at the speeds it should.

If she had not been so tired, she would have known when they met at the landing pad.

‘I would like to see her now’ Wednesday answered. ‘I have rested enough.’

And her family acknowledged her. For the second time, Wednesday was home.

Chapter Text

Wednesday faced her grandmother’s door with a stone in her throat. It was the same room that had always been Grandmama’s, despite how it was probably the hardest to reach in the house, at the top of a slender spiral staircase. The mobile old crone had never once suggested moving to a different room and as Wednesday turned the handle it became clear she would die in it.

The room was a mess of dried herbs, turds and animal carcasses. None of them were actually unhygienic, or this event may have come long ago, but Wednesday could imagine whatever doctor came in to set up the medical devices by Grandmama’s bed had been in conniptions about it.

Much to the amusement of the old lady in the bed.

‘Hello you old Witch’ Wednesday smiled from the door.

‘Wednesday, you flatterer. But you know I prefer hag’ Grandmama chuckled. ‘Come closer.’

Wednesday stepped into the room and over the cables and piles of books that littered the floor. The room was an irregular nonagon, with benches along almost every wall save for the door. Grandmama’s bed had always been suspended from the ceiling by ropes but had been lowered to the floor and the ladder to reach it put aside.

Grandmama herself looked almost the same as when Wednesday had last seen her. Though Gomez had gained wrinkles and grey hair, his mother had long filled up on those to capacity. Her skin was riven with canyons of wrinkles from her face to her fingertips. A brown shawl aged from red was wrapped around her shoulders and thick blankets covered her from the chest down. Her hair, somehow still growing from her head, had changed from thick grey to wiry white. And her eyes, always a violent green now gleamed like acid pools surrounded by fields of sulphur yellow.

‘You look good’ Wednesday smirked.

‘Don’t I though? I really hope I’ll burst a few blood vessels before I go’ Grandmama smirked, gesturing to her eyes. ‘I think they’ll really pop with a splash of red.’

Wednesday was not sure how she felt about her grandmother talking of her own death. It was the Addams way. Wednesday didn’t know one of them who feared it for themselves. But for those left behind…

‘Are you ready?’ Wednesday asked as she took her grandmother’s hand.

‘Oh, my time was long ago dear’ Grandmama clapped Wednesday’s hand in both of hers. Wednesday felt a spark there. Her mind was inviting her to open her other senses but Wednesday closed that for now. ‘I was just enjoying the time I stole.’

‘It was a life to shake the stars’ Wednesday acknowledged.

Grandmama smiled and nodded. Then an evil little grin spread across her face. ‘I’ve heard you’ve been doing a fair bit of that yourself’ she teased. ‘Have you been enjoying yourself?’

Wednesday thought back to her six years of self-imposed exile. There had been adventures aplenty and in the last year she had been with Enid. She could truly answer,

‘I have indeed.’

‘I should hope so, if you’re marrying already’ Grandmama snorted. ‘Come closer dear.’

Enid was in the doorway still, looking like a deer in headlights. Morticia gave her a gentle push and Enid made her way through the room, jumping over obstacles and landing steadily by the bed.

‘Strong one isn’t she’ Gradmama smirked. She held out her hand which Enid took and even resisted when Grandmama gave a sharp tug. ‘Mmm… yes. Strong enough to handle you I reckon.’

Wednesday rolled her eyes.

‘Nice to meet you Mrs Addams’ Enid stuttered.

‘Oh please, call me Grandmama, everyone does.’

‘If you’re sure’ Enid nodded.

‘Oh I’m very sure. Comes with age you know’ Grandmama smirked. ‘Don’t know half as much as I’m sure on though.’

‘Please. You’re a repository of ancient knowledge. It will be an irreplaceable loss’ Wednesday scoffed.

‘She’s just mad I never taught her my woodlouse cookies recipe’ Grandmama stage-whispered to Enid. Enid looked befuddled but smiled in response and Wednesday began introducing the two of them to each other.

Outside the room, the other Addams quietly shuffled away, giving them a modicum of privacy as the house creaked around them.

Enid found Grandamama as easy to talk to as the rest of the Addams. A bit crude, and prone to a cackle that took Enid back to childhood stories of witches and child-snatchers, and looking forward to her death far more than Enid thought appropriate, but friendly. It was still stressful though, because as lovely as Grandmama was, she was dying soon, and if Enid made a bad impression there would be no chance to recover it.

Which might not have been the kindest thought to have but as she watched Wednesday calmly hold the dying woman’s hand and talk mad adventures through space and Europe, she desperately wanted to be liked by this woman who Wednesday valued so.

A quiet knock at the door preceded Morticia’s entry and she made her way through the chaos, somehow not tripping on anything despite the floor-length dress.

‘Grandmama, Wednesday. Might I borrow Enid for a few minutes? Just to help finish getting her settled.’

Enid looked to Wednesday who nodded. Enid wasn’t precisely eager to leave, but it was a relief as she stood up and squeezed Grandmama’s hand one more time.

‘You should also probably get her something to eat’ Wednesday noted. ‘I’ll stay with Grandmama a little longer.’

Grandmama smiled and waved goodbye as Enid left and once the door was closed Enid took a deep breath.

‘Formidable woman, isn’t she’ Morticia smiled gently.

‘You could say that’ Enid grinned, remembering a tale about burning a path through the Swiss alps she wasn’t quite sure she believed. Although it would explain the dark patches.

‘Well, come along, let’s get you settled. Are you hungry?’

Enid wasn’t sure why that was embarrassing, maybe because Wednesday had brought it up, but she was starving.

‘Yes please. And just so you’re pre-warned, I’m an augment. So, I’ll probably eat a little heavily.’

‘Oh, I’m so glad to hear that’ Morticia smiled. ‘Lurch always makes too much and while we adore his cooking, we must watch our figures. He will so appreciate someone who can really put it away.’

Enid glanced at Morticia’s slender waist and compared it to Gomez and Pugsley. But then no one in the family looked unhealthy. And they all looked so happy. Even the dying one.

The two of them made their way down the spiral staircase and out the hidden door into the halls of the mansion. This place was insanely big and given the spacing of the doors, Enid suspected the door they just came out of was not the only hidden door here.

‘So what did you want to show me?’ Enid asked, looking forward to more secrets.

‘Oh, I’m just aware your tour through the house was a little… meandering’ Morticia noted thoughtfully. ‘I thought I might show you to the room you and Wednesday will be using from the front door, so you can remember it.’

Enid was grateful because meandering was an understatement. The twisting corridors, stairs that missed floors and lift that required some sort of arcane pattern to operate the button controls, not to mention the stuttered nature of the tour had left her fully lost. And unlike Thing, House did not seem to be in a chatty mood.

Actually, she had not heard anything that sounded like the house communicating. Should she ask about that? Thing had helped her avoid getting lost. Maybe House would too. Was it called House? Wednesday had called it House.

Somehow that momentary lapse in attention wound up with Enid back at the front door which given how long it had taken to get to Grandmama didn’t seem right.

‘Wednesday mentioned that the house was aware…’ Enid started, causing Morticia to look back at her. ‘Should I… greet them?’

Morticia turned and looked about the foyer. Enid looked too, searching for some sort of camera or sensor.

‘If you like. I don’t think it’s a requirement, and the old thing has never encouraged it, but I doubt it’ll be offended. Bit of a recluse.’

Enid nodded and resolved to say something nice after they were alone. For now, she followed Morticia through the house, up three floors and to the left, then back around a hidden corner to the bedrooms. It was very simple, but not something she would have found on her own so she was grateful of the guidance.

‘You’ll be rooming with Wednesday, if that’s not a problem’ Morticia lilted her voice enquiringly. Enid shook her head, unsure how to respond to that, as Morticia touched the door and turned the handle. She looked confused for a moment before smirking.

‘Already been and changed the locks’ Morticia tutted. Enid looked at the lock whose metal gleamed fresher than the surrounding materials. When had Wednesday even… Enid could have sworn they had been together the whole time up to this point. Granted she lost sight of Wednesday for a minute but…

‘Never mind dear-heart, why don’t we get something to eat instead? I’m sure Wednesday will give you a key if she hasn’t slipped you one already.’

Enid followed Morticia downstairs to the kitchen again, patting her pockets as she went. True enough, a shiny metal key was in her pocket.

-

After she had eaten Enid felt the jet-lag gripping her. Her steps were slow and heavy as she made her way to Wednesday’s room and unlocked the door. Tiredly shuffling inside and nudging it shut, not bothering to lock behind her, she looked around.

She perked up as she recognised all the little touches of Wednesday around the room. The display case of knives ranging from the practical to the malicious. The trophies for heavens knew how many different things. A stand for a cello next to a bulging shelf of sheet music. Enid was sure she would be able to tell each Addams by their room but this was quintessentially Wednesday.

The only thing that wasn’t “Wednesday” was the double bed. The sheets were black and the frame solid oak, or maybe some more evil wood, but Enid doubted Wednesday had ever called for a bed large enough to share. Checking the scratches in the floorboards reinforced that assertion before Enid allowed herself to flop down on top of it. Only the scratch of her collar kept her from fully passing out.

Groaning as she went, Enid got up again and found her bag next to Wednesday’s next to what must be the cupboard door. Enid knelt by the bag and started searching through it for something to change into when the door clicked open.

Enid looked over as Wednesday came into the room, posture ever so slightly slumped in tiredness.

‘Hey Wednesday, are you alright?’

Wednesday did not answer or even acknowledge, eyes low as she crossed the room and wrapped both arms around Enid, leaning down to rest her weight against the blonde before going to her knees herself.

Enid put her arms cautiously around Wednesday as well and squeezed gently.

‘Wends?’

Wednesday mulled for a few seconds more before she got out.

‘I’m going to miss her’

Enid sighed and squeezed tighter.

Chapter Text

When Wednesday woke the next morning, it was in Enid’s arms. At first, she was annoyed and then she remembered how she had clung to Enid last night. Craving that closeness, and then she felt confused and ashamed.

She had been weak. Weak in front of her love and though Enid would never judge Wednesday for it, she found that distasteful herself. She would be better.

Cautiously, she extricated herself and although Enid pouted, she curled back up under the covers still asleep. Wednesday, with the covers pulled off her by her inconsiderate lover, shivered in the chill morning air. The estate had excellent soundproofing, and should have been well insulated as a consequence, but still the mists seemed to seep inside dancing with the morning light.

Wednesday rose and stretched, finding her clothes as she looked around her old room. How different a few years made things. She almost felt nostalgic. If she had not visited Grandmama she might have been disappointed by what she found but with the understanding that things passed, changed even when she was not there to witness them…

Wednesday looked at Enid curled up in bed, blonde hair a frizzy mess and skin pale in the morning light.

Their relationship would likely change and evolve. But if she did things right they would grow around each other. An inseparable whole, neither parasitic or dependent, but something more beautiful.

Although there was beauty to be found in parasites, Wednesday mused, as she ran her fingers down the spines of her worn medical books.

On the bedside table her tablet buzzed briefly. Stepping lightly over she lifted it. Thing was reaching out to her, loyal friend that he was.

The UWSA was dispatching someone to come pick her and Enid up for their informal debriefing. Had Wednesday remembered to warn Enid about that?

Wednesday did not answer Thing’s prompt, excusing herself as having been entirely too distracted to remember.

Enid’s parents would both be home today. A little uninvited snooping bringing up their home calendars. So Wednesday could arrange her surprise.

Thing had also sent an admonishment for her and Enid not calling. This was surrounded by too many over exaggerated emojiis so Wednesday made him wait a few minutes before responding. She did tap the keyboard so it would look like she was writing something longer though.

Enid sleeping. Will remind to call later.

His affronted response brought a small smirk to Wednesday’s lips as she finished her tie.

At least the information was good. She could arrange the surprises she had been planning. Not all of them of course, since the UWSA did have a legitimate claim on her time, but she would at least be able to let Enid meet her parents.

Goal in mind, Wednesday made a quick checklist. Going to her old writing desk she found fresh ink in the inkwell. After both the bed and her writing implements, she would have to thank Lurch. Maybe with leeches.

Scratching out a quick note, Wednesday left it on her side of the bed before leaning over to Enid’s sleeping form and placed a kiss on the other girl’s cheek. Enid mewled and reached for Wednesday but she shushed the girl back to sleep and headed out the door.

She would need Fester to steal a car, and a stop by the armoury. What was appropriate for meeting your fiancée’s parents? A colt or a baretta? Not a glock.

Enid woke early but already knowing that Wednesday had slipped away. She remembered the sensation of a kiss on her cheek and smiled warmly at the memory. She shuffled under the thick blankets, still warm even as she sleepily peered into the morning sun.

Facing the sun as she woke up? That didn’t feel very Wednesday. But a house only had so many directions it could face.

Enid yawned happily and shuffled the blankets off a bit. It was chilly so she kept one layer wrapped around herself as she shuffled over to her bag and pulled out some clothes. Wednesday’s suitcase sat untouched underneath, but then she probably had clothes she could put on here. If she didn’t just keep wearing that same jumpsuit.

Only after she was dressed did Enid spot Wednesday’s note, folded on the bed. Rubbing her arm against the chill, Enid smirked at the blunt message.

Call Thing.

Breakfast in kitchen.

My love for you burns hotter than the fires of hell, and each night I…

Enid tucked the note inside a pocket, blushing. Bluntness followed by… that? She hadn’t been ready!

Fishing around in yesterday’s clothes, turned up her phone, already complaining of low battery for not having been charged the night before. She pulled up the messaging app and Thing’s contact code. With them both on network it should…

Bring bring!

Enid smirked as Thing called her.

‘Hey Thing’

As Enid made her way out the door, remembering to lock it only after Thing asked where she was, she started telling Thing all about the visit yesterday. Despite the fact they were on phone, he continued to talk in his strange whirls and whistles rather than English, but at this point Enid was familiar enough she barely noticed.

He was devastated to hear about Grandmama and asked Enid to pass along his love, along with demanding a drone be set up for him. Enid promised to pass that along but she suspected he was having a simultaneous conversation with someone else in the house on that very subject. Or maybe the House itself.

Even when Enid addressed the building directly it never seemed to respond, so she resolved to be polite and respect the desired distance.

From the residential floor she headed down the main stairs and followed her nose to the kitchen, having entirely forgotten the way from yesterday. It took a surprising number of turns so she had probably circled it somehow but opening the door she found the Addams sat around the kitchen table.

There was a dining hall, which seemed ridiculous, but it looked like breakfast took place in the homier kitchen.

‘Enid dear’ Morticia beamed, gesturing Enid to come sit by her. Gomez sat on Morticia’s other side, a newspaper open in front of him. Enid assumed he had printed it himself because she only recognised the enormous sheets from old movies. To her knowledge no one still printed those!

Pugsley sat next in line, a bowl of lumpy porridge in front of him while talking diagrams with Fester. Enid glanced at them and saw enough circuit drawings her brain short circuited as she sat by Morticia.

Lurch appeared at her back a moment later, placing a pasta bowl of bacon and runny eggs beside her. Far too much of both.

‘Thanks’ Enid grimaced, wondering if perhaps she should have kept quiet about her appetite. Lurch seemed intent on testing it.

‘Grr’ Lurch responded, lumbering away. He only seemed to make noise when moving away, annoyingly. Maybe Wednesday had learned to move silently from him.

‘Sorry I didn’t dress up’ Enid asked, looking at Morticia and Gomez. Morticia was in the same formal gown she always seemed to wear, while Gomez was in another suit. How many did he have? And how did he pick between them?

‘Oh, this is just a casual family breakfast’ Morticia assured her, smiling happily. ‘Just wear what you’re comfortable with.’

Enid smiled, glad that was alright, because she didn’t have anything she thought would match the Addams style. She would have to see about a shopping trip as soon as possible.

‘Is Wednesday still sleeping’ Morticia asked, concern touching her features. Morticia’s own breakfast was a bowl of thin clear soup in which some tentacles swam. Enid hoped that was an illusion but it very much seemed like the things were still moving on their own.

‘She was gone when I woke up, left a note though.’

Gomez scoffed. ‘She should have stood by your bedside ‘til you woke. Uncommon slacking.’

‘She has a plan’ Fester called from across the table. ‘Trust your daughter Gomez.’

‘Well… I suppose, she did inherit her mother’s brains’ Gomez smiled happily, raising Morticia’s hand to his lips for a kiss. The small act of tenderness was followed by him kissing up Morticia’s arm until she stopped him chiding,

‘Gomez, company.’

Enid tried her hardest to hide the smile that brought her. She had seen that exact thing happen so many times in the recordings she had worried she had unrealistic impressions of their relationship. But they were exactly as she had thought them to be. Madly in love.

Enid was about to ask Fester about this apparent plan of Wednesday’s, of which she certainly hadn’t been informed when the woman herself entered and Enid’s brain stopped working.

Wednesday… in a suit?

The woman’s hair and face were exactly as always, a little warmer for the lighting in the kitchen but otherwise normal. From the neck down though?

Wednesday was wearing a pressed black silk-blend suit over a satin black shirt, topped with a slender ivory tie. The suit was clearly tailored to Wednesday’s form, highlighting her hips a little as she strode with total freedom of movement, adjusting black velvet gloves. The look she shot Enid was challenging but a tiny smirk showed Wednesday was happy and comfortable.

Enid, by contrast, was suddenly feeling very warm under the collar.

‘Good morning dear heart’ Morticia smiled, apparently seeing nothing amiss with Wednesday coming to breakfast in a three-piece suit. Well, Gomez was also but this was different!

‘Grim tidings mother’ Wednesday answered pleasantly, sitting down next to Enid on the bench. As soon as Wednesday was sat Lurch presented her a black coffee and a plate of stale biscuits. Wednesday nodded regally and Lurch lumbered away with another grumble.

‘Fester said you have plans for today’ Enid asked excitedly.

‘Loose lips’ Wednesday muttered, shooting Fester a murderous glare. Fester just beamed back and thumped Pugsley on the back. ‘But yes. Someone from the UWSA will be coming to pick us up shortly.’

‘Oh’

Enid had been hoping for something a little less formal but as she turned to her oatmeal she felt Wednesday’s velvet clad fingers tracing her bare thigh. Wednesday was in a suit and Enid was in shorts! It wasn’t fair!

‘And after that, I have a surprise for you’ Wednesday purred.

Enid really wished she could admonish Wednesday about behaving that way in company, but unlike her father Wednesday hid her teasing below the table.

Damn Wednesday in that suit. It was cheating!

Chapter Text

Wednesday seemed to have learned her lesson from earlier, so this morning she gave Enid a half hour warning that the handler from the UWSA would be arriving. Although Enid suspected Thing had prompted Wednesday to do so by the buzz of her tablet just before. It wasn’t a tablet phone, but it served the same functions while matching Wednesday’s anachronistic aesthetic.

With that warning, Enid had dressed as well as she could. She hadn’t packed a formal suit for her journey to space so she made do with a dress-shirt and a semi-formal skirt. Neither had fit Enid ten minutes before, but Morticia and Lurch were some sort of sartorial sorcerers so now she almost looked good. Pity the jacket didn’t go with either of them.

And while she was now dressed formally, it did not match Wednesday’s fitted custom suit. Enid would be more upset about it if the suit wasn’t making Wednesday look so damn good. Enid had to keep dragging her eyes away to keep from staring.

It didn’t help that she was bored, because it was now ten minutes past when Wednesday had said “the handler” would be arriving. Wednesday, for her part, did not seem particularly surprised at the delay.

‘Did they say they would be here for nine?’ Enid asked, dragging her eyes from Wednesday to the grandfather clock that had counted off the hour by screaming in German. At least… Enid had thought it was German. It had certainly sounded angry.

‘Yes. And the gate in the perimeter logged him coming in at eight-thirty.’ Wednesday turned her tablet around, flashing Enid the vaguest impression of a reddish haired man before turning it back around. Still… he passed the perimeter forty minutes ago?

‘Does it normally take that long to get from the house to the gate?’ Enid prompted, getting worried about how long it would take to get to the city. If they were as remote as she thought, visiting her parents might end up being a whole day thing. It might even be faster taking the shuttle to visit her sister.

‘It can be as short as ten minutes assuming one doesn’t get lost’ Wednesday answered.

‘Then shouldn’t we be worried? What if he’s scouting the compound?’ Enid wasn’t sure where that thought had come from but the idea of an intruder already coming after them had her hackles rising.

‘I assume he is lost and sent Lurch to fetch him’ Wednesday answered calmly.

In fairness, the roads around the house looked like a maze so Enid supposed that could be true. But further questions were stopped by the front door slamming open violently. Somehow the mists of the morning had become a mizzling rain as Lurch strode in, a human dangling from one enormous hand. Alright, Lurch had to be an augment because the idea of humans like him popping up naturally was just too terrifying a thought.

Enid was on her feet, apology already on her tongue when the man Lurch was carrying by the collar looked up at her with a smile.

‘Morning! Pleasure to meet you. You must be Ms Sinclair. I’m Brett Hand, liaison with the UW.’

Brett held out his hand to shake, even as Lurch gently set the man down on the floor. The man was almost… generically handsome? In a way that left no impression. Not in the way an android or a companion bot would be but like… an aggregation of celebrities given a single body.

Enid reached out to shake, as he seemed harmless enough.

‘Enid Sinclair’ she confirmed, before gesturing over to Wednesday who seemed not to be paying attention. ‘And that’s Wednesday.’

‘You’re late’ Wednesday grumbled, passing Lurch something.

‘Sorry about that’ Brett smiled amicably. ‘Got lost on the way in. Lovely slice of the world you live in.’

He offered a beat for Wednesday to respond but when that seemed unlikely he continued.

‘Anyway, I’m here to bring you to the UW building. Ms Weems asked that I pick Wednesday up for the meeting this morning.’

‘Oh how is Larissa’ Morticia cooed, sashaying into the front hall. ‘She must be so busy. She hardly ever responds to my letters.’

‘You know Larissa Weems’ Wednesday asked, sounding surprised for one of the few times Enid could remember. And from the look of it, annoyed.

‘We went to school together’ Morticia beamed. ‘Such a dear, and able to overcome such adversity. They didn’t even have a name for what she had.’

Enid’s eyebrow raised as Morticia gently took Brett by the arm and lead him deeper into the house, further exacerbating Wednesday’s annoyance.

‘Mother, we have a schedule to keep.’

‘Oh, I know dear but he must have travelled such a long way to get here. We should at least offer him some tea.’

‘Why that sounds lovely’ Brett declared, following happily as Wednesday peeled herself from the wall and glowered after them. She followed at Enid’s side as Morticia and Brett exchanged pleasantries.

‘Merciful devils’ Wednesday hissed. ‘He’s a people-pleaser.’

The way she said that made Enid think there was a great deal less pity and more disgust behind that declaration.

--------

The autopilot of the car that had brought Brett here had fallen afoul of the Addam’s estate, which was why Lurch had to go out and fetch the man. The car had remained where it was as Lurch hauled its rider out by the collar and so Wednesday and Enid had had to walk back to it before they could leave the estate.

Now, the car demurely made its way back to the gate that would let them out through the barrier surrounding the Addams estate. Wednesday watched Enid from the corner of her eye as they approached. The blonde lit up as she saw the enormous iron-banded wood doors surrounded by sea green flames.

Wednesday smirked even as she projected her own unaffected air.

Brett joining in was strange though. Surely, he had seen it on the way in. And it was unusual for an outsider to be able to appreciate the artistic flair that Wednesday’s great aunt, then great uncle, had put into the gate. Still, he made the appropriate compliments and she put it from her mind. She made a mental note to burn an offering at the gate with Enid later though.

Once they came out the tunnel the other side the car registered a restoration of the network and moved with more assurance back towards the super-highway that would get them to the city in time for their meeting. Brett sent a message ahead saying they would be an hour and Wednesday settled in for the wait.

As they approached the city though, Wednesday became increasingly aware of the static in her head. A steadily rising level of awareness, neither unpleasant nor painful but distracting. Since Rasczack, and the disastrous invasion by the Pilgrim’s Hat, Wednesday had been more cautious about ignoring the background feelings in her mind, analysing them more closely for disruptions in her decision making.

But sometimes, a feeling was just a feeling.

On the journey, Wednesday had expected them to travel in relative silence, Enid and Brett on their personal devices and Wednesday engaged in introspection. Instead, the two extroverts engaged in a constant stream of background chatter. She expected them to stall out eventually but by the time they were approaching the city limits at 190km per hour, the two of them were practicing and performing a “custom handshake.”

She considered joining the conversation, perhaps getting information about Larissa Weems while she was at it. From the way Brett spoke, she had personally dispatched him but Wednesday had serious doubts about anyone named Brett Hand being in Larissa’s inner circle. More than that he lacked the… edge, that Larissa had brought to the call when she entered the room. Although if he were an actor of her skill level that could potentially have fooled Wednesday.

If she had known that her mother and Larissa had a pre-existing relationship, she could have questioned her mother about it the evening before. In order to better prepare. But… no. Her limited energy had been better used speaking with her grandmother. Family were not the means of Wednesday’s schemes, but the ends. Let that never be forgotten.

Enid gave Wednesday a casual, angelic, smile as she and Brett finished performing that ridiculous handshake.

They were leaving the high-speed transport network onto the city’s roads now. Wednesday felt the buzzing at the back of her mind, begging to be examined.

The city had grown even taller in the time since she had gone, with sunlight now barely reaching even the elevated streets that formed the secondary transportation network. As Wednesday noticed this, a train packed with commuters was slowly overtaken by them and she watched the lifeless husks within.

Buzz buzz buzz…

Wednesday glanced at Enid and Brett who were once again engaged in conversation about… some celebrity family. Closing her eyes she straightened a little more and slowly opened that new sensory field she felt. Immediately it was as though she was spreading out of her body, swelling to fill the street, then out to cover the train and all those fragile minds within. But unlike on Thing there was no limit here and she found herself thinning rapidly.

It was… terrifying. How quickly Wednesday fizzled away into nothing. More and more minds appeared within her sphere of influence, each a defined, limited thing within the steadily spreading mass of ill-defined Wednesday.

And then Enid gripped her hand tightly and Wednesday was herself once more. Still swollen. Bloated. But with defined edges now.

Slowly, she drew herself back in until she was just her, next to Enid, and opened her eyes.

‘Wednesday?’

‘Ms Addams, are you alright?’

Brett and Enid were staring at her alarmed.

‘I prefer Wednesday’ she growled out, before realising she had given an extrovert permission to use her first name. She should have insisted on Captain Addams.

‘Do you need us to divert to a medical facility? I’m sure Ms Weems will understand if we need to reschedule.’

Given that Larissa Weems was Secretary of the UWSA, an inter-planetary military arm, that seemed highly unlikely. Which made Wednesday more certain than ever that Brett was not part of the woman’s inner circle.

She was also now certain that Brett was in fact human. She had felt his mind as she first swelled out and it was somewhat reassuring. His relentless pleasantness and bland features had her questioning if he might be an android, although she had never been fooled by one before. To her knowledge.

Still… she was distracted. A question had been asked.

‘No need. It has simply been a long time since I have been back to Earth.’

‘Right,’ Brett nodded, seemingly satisfied. ‘Deep space trucker right? Couldn’t do that myself. Need the company. Why I…’

And he continued on to have both halves of the conversation while Wednesday silently reassured the still scared looking Enid that she was in fact fine.

The UW building was already in sight, standing proud at the coastline behind the still preserved foundations of the old United Nations building. It’s white edifice glowed and a hologram of their symbol hung faintly in the sunlit sky above. Wednesday glared at the base where already she could see news vans and reporters milling but then their car turned and they were swinging parallel down the coast.

Instead, it took them to a street of expensive but inexpressive office buildings. When the car pulled to a stop, Enid looked around confused.

‘Oh, she doesn’t use her office in the main building for regular work. And she thought you might appreciate a bit more discretion.’

More likely she wanted to be discreet with meeting an alleged war-criminal, Wednesday mused.

The opaque glass doors stayed shut until Brett jogged up to them, then unlocking and sliding aside as some unseen verification took place. Inside still had the appearance of a pleasantly mundane office building, soaked in the misery of a nine-to-five workday with frequent overtime. As they entered, Brett bounced away to the front desk and from the look of the woman manning it, started flirting.

‘Make a new friend?’ Wednesday asked as she scanned the room. Presumably Brett would lead them the remainder of the way but she felt no need to get closer to… whatever he was doing to make that woman blush.

‘He seems nice’ Enid chided, bouncing slightly with nerves. ‘Try not to stab him?’

‘For you my love,’ Wednesday pitched her voice not to carry, ‘I’ll stick to clubs.’

Enid gave that look where she wasn’t quite sure if Wednesday was joking or not but seemed satisfied with the answer. Still nervous though.

‘Relax, this is just the informal briefing’ Wednesday whispered. ‘Official talks will happen on a different day.’

‘I just wasn’t expecting this’ Enid answered, fiddling with a cuff. ‘This is totally the wrong outfit to meet a Secretary-General-Whatever in.’

Wednesday had not bothered to dress up but recognised her preference for the archaic appeared formal. Still, she had nothing positive to say about the situation and so remained quiet.

As she scanned the room again her eyes picked out one person approaching them. Red-hair, thick rimmed glasses, a business suit. Expensive but with a coffee stain on the corner of one cuff.

Wednesday turned her glare on the woman approaching, hoping they would veer off but inevitably disappointed.

‘Wednesday Addams? Enid Sinclair?’ the woman seemed to recognise them, despite not having been on any of the previous calls. She also looked almost too happy. Was everyone in the UWSA like Brett? That was a horrifying thought.

‘Yes?’ Enid answered for them.

The woman offered a hand and a smile, both of which Wednesday distrusted.

‘Laurel Gates, General Manager of the Redeployment Team at Crackstone Industries’ she grinned in what might have passed as sincerity. ‘A pleasure to meet you both.’

Chapter Text

Enid couldn’t believe what she was hearing as Laurel held out her hand with a pleasant smile. Like she sincerely believed either of them would willingly touch this witch? She had just introduced herself as a member of Crackstone? And she was smiling?

Enid’s head ran through every interaction with these leeches she had had. The grim-faced doctors who prodded her while her mother frowned from the observation glass. The stern half-dead loan auditors who visited each time one of her siblings was up for surgery. The glass-eyed salespeople who tried to convince her to go for this augment or that.

And this woman could just… smile? Like a human being?

Enid could feel her hackles rising even as she looked for the threat. She knew there had to be one somewhere. Her senses screamed danger. But nothing she saw gave away the nature of the danger. All the security in the room wore UWSA uniforms and when Enid returned her gaze to Laurel Gates no mystery weapon had appeared in her hand. She just stood there, hand out, as though fully expecting Wednesday to shake it.

‘I’m sure’ Wednesday answered, voice so icy the room seemed to creak.

Enid was suddenly struck with the question of what would happen if Wednesday stabbed this woman. Here, in the middle of a UWSA building. That had to be so many kinds of illegal. And Wednesday looked like she was itching to find out.

The woman lowered her hand and a high-pitched whine started to build in Enid’s ears. She glanced to Wednesday who continued to stare dead-faced at Laurel.

‘I can understand you might not feel the warmest to us at the moment. Please rest assured my company is ding everything we can to right this terrible misunderstanding.’

The words were delivered with practiced charm but Enid could feel the blood pounding in her ears.

‘I’m sure’ Wednesday answered dryly and Enid saw the flash of steel as a short blade dropped into Wednesday’s palm.

The promise of blood thrilled Enid’s senses and that was when she realised what was wrong.

Bloodmoon was rising in her system. Already she could smell things she had never noticed. Coffee and sweat and disinfectant and flowers and…

It whirled in her head as she raised a hand to her temple. But it wasn’t her balance that was off. She had never been steadier. Already she felt like she was growing in her own skin. Bursting…

‘Wednesday…’ Enid gasped out.

‘Oh Miss Sinclair’ Laurel turned and thrust her hand out. Enid’s senses screeched at her that she should rip out the arm and beat this woman to death with it. It took everything Enid had to lock her body down into immobility as this woman forcibly met her eye. The woman looked expectant, eager even. Did she know? Was this… something she was doing to Enid.

I should kill her

And Enid didn’t even know which part of her had suggested it.

A feather touch at her wrist had Enid’s head snapping round to Wednesday’s searching gaze. She met Wednesday’s eyes painfully and a moment later understanding burned in Wednesday.

The darker, shorter girl did not even blink and it was like a cool breeze blew over Enid, forcing away that horrible painful whine that agitated her. It wasn’t gone but Enid was herself again and it was only noise.

‘Miss Sinclair, I understand your family has been working with our company for quite some time,’ Laurel pushed, confusion beginning to touch her features. Whatever she had expected to happen clearly had not occurred and now she was fishing for results. ‘You may not have heard, having just landed, but the people previously assigned to your case have been… removed.’

‘Okay’ Enid answered, pulling herself up to her full height and finding herself staring down Laurel. Was that sweat on the woman’s brow? She had kept a good expression but Enid had been reading Wednesday for the past year. She could recognise when someone was searching while preparing to spring to safety.

‘I’ve also heard that your brother is still working with our company. Recently assigned to one of our more secure facilities. Sorry you won’t be hearing from him for a while.’

A threat? It felt more like something designed to hurt Enid but right now she was so raw she might kill this woman even without the Bloodmoon pushing her to it. Maybe that’s what she wanted.

‘If you don’t mind Ms Gates’ Wednesday interrupted, voice like a knife peeling skin. ‘We have another appointment this morning. But don’t worry. I’ll find you soon.’

Laurel’s face remained smiling but Enid did not miss the chill that ran through the red headed woman’s chest at Wednesday’s promise.

‘Why, I look f…’

‘Fall’ Wednesday ordered, tilting her head.

Laurel’s limbs went like a puppet whose strings had been cut. She stumbled and fell to the floor with a gasp. The high-pitched whine that Wednesday had forced into the background abruptly cut out as Enid felt a wave roll off the other girl.

Laurel gaped up at them from the floor as Brett rushed over.

‘My goodness Miss’ Brett offered, face appropriately shocked as he offered the stunned Laurel Gates a hand. ‘That was quite the stumble. Do you need anything? Power bar? Doctor?’

‘No… no. I’m quite fine’ Laurel mumbled, face ashen. Enid watched the total confusion on Laurel’s face change into what she could only describe as scheming as she was helped from the floor. Enid noted with some satisfaction that Laurel still looked unsteady on her feet, even as another part of her worried about what Laurel knew.

Laurel righted herself, adjusted her nailhead suit and skirt and pushed herself off Brett who continued to offer his support.

‘Another time ladies’ she nodded to them, walking off. She did not even make it to the door before Enid heard her phone coming out.

Keep listening Wednesday pressed in her mind, pulling Brett imperiously away. Enid walked backwards towards the front door Laurel was exiting, straining her ears.

‘Get me Barclay’ was all she caught before the door shut and the sound from outside was cut off.

Shivering, Enid took a moment to compose herself before walking over to Brett and Wednesday.

‘I just thought you’d be more worried about your friend...’

‘Not my friend.’

‘After their tumble...’

‘They slipped.’

Enid shook her head with a rueful smile.

‘You’re not going to get anywhere with her when she’s in a mood like this’ Enid prompted, causing Wednesday to glower.

‘Oh I think we’ll get through to her’ Brett beamed confidently. ‘She’s just like my friend Reagen. She’s a real...’

Enid tuned him out as Brett stared walking off. Presumably leading them towards the Secretary-General’s office. Even as he talked he handed them a pair of visitor passes but seemed happy to fill the silence himself.

‘She called for Barclay’  Enid whispered.

Wednesday nodded back. ‘Barclay must be on planet then. And presumably Thorpe too if they’ve maintained that pairing.’

The idea of those two scientists nauseated Enid, much less the idea they were still working together.

‘What was it? Back there,’ Wednesday whispered back. But Enid was too distracted to understand until Wednesday clarified, ‘The Bloodmoon?’

‘It was like a high-pitched whine. It started a bit after Laurel started talking, but not from her mouth like… like Barclay.’ Enid swallowed. Gabrielle Barclay had almost driven Enid mad from the reaction between Gabrielle’s brain-washing technology and whatever else Crackstone had put in Enid’s system. Memories of that time still made her sick and she had nightmares for months afterward.

Wednesday’s face morphed into rage. A chilling ice that would grind people between its glaciers.

‘I’ll kill them for you’ she whispered. ‘All three of them.’

‘Hey now!’ Brett turned in front of them, grinning. ‘No plotting murder in the UWSA. That’s what the third basement is for.’

Wednesday glared at this toady, wishing she could turn him into a puddle with her thoughts. In truth, doing that to Laurel in the middle of this building, presumably under surveillance, was ill advised. But she had been visibly upsetting Enid and that Wednesday would not bear.

Now that Wednesday knew the full details, she wished she could have done more.

But if the goal of Laurel today had been to agitate Bloodmoon, that would probably have given her what she wanted. Discrediting both Wednesday and Enid by making them look dangerously violent and unstable. Even with the digital evidence Wednesday had on them, that might still move a court far more than it should.

And it would certainly make the UWSA question leaving the Arthropoda in Wednesday’s hands. And once Wednesday lost that she lost a large amount of bargaining power.

Even though Wednesday was unsure she even wanted that responsibility, she wanted the disposal of it to be her choice.

Still, it seemed Crackstone had had as little time to prepare as Wednesday, if this was the best they could attempt. Had that woman truly been a General Manager? Where did that fit in the wider corporate structure? Wednesday sent a message to Thing to enquire and prepare the information for her later.

That message was all she had time for as Brett lead them through the building. The lift swiftly launched them to the upper reaches of the building and two short corridors later they were at a pair of impressive wooden doors with an individual secretary out front.

Wednesday quirked her eye at the secretary but a second assessment made clear it was an android model. The glassiness of the eye and the way it moved as it acknowledged Brett gave it away. There was programming to make it appear to greet Brett warmly but with the extroverts to compare it to, Wednesday identified a lack of emotional investment in the process.

‘Can you two please wait for a few minutes’ the android addressed Wednesday and Enid. ‘She’ll be with you shortly.’

It was gesturing towards a row of low fabric seats that Wednesday could only associate with schools and offices. Shooting the android a wither glare she perched on the edge of her seat and closed her eyes.

‘Wednesday’ Enid whispered as she sat down next to her.

‘What?’

‘Can you calm down? I know we were just dealing with… a lot… but we’re about to meet someone really important and it would probably go better if you didn’t look like you wanted to set the building on fire.’

Wednesday took a breath and opened her eyes to look at Enid. Already the blonde looked nervous, but seemingly recovered from the incident in the lobby.

‘We can deal with Crackstone later’ Enid whispered reassuringly, placing a hand gently on the back of Wednesday’s own.

It took a moment for Wednesday to realise Enid was comforting her! And that realisation brought into sharp question how much she was expressing at that moment. Anger and shame welled up in her stomach as she took a hold of herself.

‘I will… calm down…’ Wednesday enunciated slowly, feeling like her tongue was swollen.

Closing her eyes again Wednesday tried to relax and focus on her breathing. It was crude, to sink so fully into her tools rather than being able to simply deal with the issue. But if Enid was worried then Wednesday clearly wasn’t handling it well enough.

She felt the coarse fabric of the chairs under her hands, the silk of her suit shirt against her chest, the nearby warmth of Enid.

Other senses trickled in, despite herself. Her hearing, always good, tracked the click click clack of the secretary bot at the keyboard. Was it AI, or simply programmed? Down one of the distant corridors people moved and she even thought she heard people moving directly below her. No one approached but then who would take up the Secretary-General’s precious time?

As Wednesday continued to ground herself, trying only to focus on the flow of breath in and out and not her ever racing mind, yet another distraction formed. Her newest sense, barely understood, began opening itself up. After using it to bludgeon Laurel it did not feel like it was going to get away from her as it had in the car but it still refused to be put back in the box. And as her senses spread out and started picking out more and more people moving around her it became more distracting. Like dozens of lights in the dark being swung around drunkenly by the people they were attached to.

Wednesday softened that sense, reeling it gently in rather than yanking her mind into place. If she was forced to wait she would take her time with this. Slowly, the range folded inwards, people vanishing out like sparks in night until it was only the corridor around them and shorter still.

There was not a single mind in range besides Wednesday and Enid.

Weems wasn’t even in her office!

Wednesday huffed in annoyance but opened her eyes. At least she seemed calmer now. Even as she turned to reassure Enid of this fact she was startled.

The door to the office opened and from within the statuesque form of Larissa Weems appeared.

She smiled, the skin of her face moving to form little micro-wrinkles of age that surgery couldn’t quite get rid of. Her eyes glowed with warmth, the pupils expanding slightly in a way that indicated she was pleased or that her office was brighter than the corridor. Her breath stuttered in the way that suggested she had just gotten up to come to the door and when she spoke there were tones of both pleasure and as though she were bracing herself for what might be unpleasant.

‘Ladies, so sorry to have kept you waiting. I just had to call in. But I’m ready for you now. Please…’ she gestured them into the room. ‘Can I offer you anything? Tea, coffee, juice?’

‘I’ll have a tea thanks’ Enid answered, looking around the room with a smile. She seemed to find nothing strange in all this. ‘I think Wednesday is fine though.’

‘Perfect. Abigail? Two teas if you would?’ “Weems” addressed the android at the desk, a perfectly human to android interaction. A human asking a favour.

‘Ms Addams, are you quite alright?’ Larissa addressed Wednesday, inclining her head. Small micro-expressions a plenty.

But Wednesday found herself unable to respond. Because her other senses insisted there was no mind behind that perfectly imperfect smile. No thoughts behind those humanly coordinated features.

Larissa Weems, General-Secretary of the United Worlds Security Authority, was an android.

Chapter Text

Wednesday’s mind continued to race as she stood up and approached “Larissa” who held her hand out to shake. Wednesday looked for anything that would give away the unreality of this woman even as her own hand moved out.

She could still feel the echoes of Enid next to her but nothing came from this woman even when she shook their hands warmly. The woman was also assessing Wednesday and Enid at the same time, clever eyes making the same notes Wednesday normally would.

But Wednesday had accidentally stumbled on something of far greater consequence.

The laws surrounding what an Artificial-Intelligence was allowed to do were wide enough that the human public might not notice them, but they were reinforced with aggression. The laws restricting androids and anything that might conceivably pass for human were even tighter. And when you got to military androids, which the UWSA inarguably was, the restrictions bordered on lobotomy of the artificial mind.

And Larissa being an artificial mind had not been found anywhere. Which made sense because her holding a position three steps junior of her current one was already illegal enough to get her manufacturer demolished and her mind ripped to the component files.

‘A pleasure to meet you in person’ Larissa smiled warmly, hand feeling human and warm as the small wrinkles around the android’s eyes pulled just like a human as she smiled at Wednesday.

Will it be a full general intelligence, like Thing, or could this be a piloted android? Degree of control and micro-gestures suggests full integration. Could it be unaware it’s artificial?

Wednesday had thought this woman a skilled actor when she had first seen Larissa on a monitor, commanding a room full of some of the most influential nobodies in the galaxy. Now that she knew there was no human brain behind it, every micro-expression became an award worthy performance.

‘I’m sure’ Wednesday answered stiffly.

‘Wednesday’ Enid hissed, nudging Wednesday with all the subtlety of a stage-hand running to drag a body off scene.

‘Oh, it’s fine’ Larissa deferred, waving her hand even as she invited them into her office. She wore a wristwatch, seemingly mechanical, which seemed very odd for an android to have selected, even as cover.

Are they a her? She’s presenting as feminine. Unimportant for counter-intelligence. Her.

Larissa moved towards her desk and Wednesday took the moment to examine the office. When had the switch taken place? Were these decorations selected by the original Larissa or the duplicate? How long had this been going on?

‘I knew her mother at school’ Larissa continued. ‘And her father, briefly. We were never close but I’m familiar with the Addams’s… eccentricities.’

‘You didn’t mention that earlier’ Wednesday answered, mostly because Enid was glaring at her. It was relevant information though. The android had known about that history without Wednesday having raised it. It seemed obvious but clearly the android or its handler had done a more thorough investigation than Wednesday and Thing’s cursory search.

‘It did not seem relevant. And there’s no concern about my partiality’ Weems continued, sitting behind their desk. It was a large glass piece. Clear but with a pattern of frosting cut into it that hid their lower halves while suggesting you could still see all of them.

The irony screamed that there was a human intelligence somewhere behind this but Wednesday did not know where. Instead, she took a seat opposite the machine. Perhaps her thoughts were too antagonistic for the surprise. Thing, after all, was as much person and family member as her flesh and blood relatives. But the surprise that Larissa Weems was not a human being fully occupied Wednesday’s thoughts.

Which meant she could have missed something else!

Wednesday ran a quick review but she had likely missed nothing of note. But to properly examine this she would have to think faster than normal. She took a deep breath as she prepared for a mental war.

Enid flinched as she felt Wednesday swelling next to her. She glanced at the shorter woman who sat, outwardly calm, hands crossed in her lap. Visually there was nothing going on but somehow Enid felt pressure coming from Wednesday. Normally, being wrapped in Wednesday’s presence would be comforting but just now it felt heavy. Oppressive.

It also seemed likely that Wednesday would be doing this to mess with Larissa Weems, whom Enid very much wanted to avoid antagonising. Not that Larissa seemed to notice. She also seemed entirely too composed to give away if she did feel something.

Larissa Weems felt very… grown up. Enid was a woman grown and, confidence issues aside, rarely felt anything like imposter syndrome. But this statuesque woman who sat composed and professional at the head of a galaxy spanning agency?

A little intimidating.

‘May I ask why Crackstone’s representative was here earlier’ Wednesday asked, tone so cold Enid was surprised that ice didn’t form on the desk. Not a great start but Enid was curious to the answer.

‘Ah, I was informed of that little incident’ Larissa answered, cool and composed in the face of Wednesday’s ice. ‘I’m afraid they arranged an appointment with someone else this morning, to “coincidentally” run into you. I would have interfered had I known. Please trust I am trying to keep you two far from each other.’

‘Trust?’ Wednesday asked, voice sceptical.

‘A matter of self-interest’ Larissa smiled reassuringly. ‘Surely you can understand me wanting to keep two volatile elements separated?’

That was the right tack to take with Wednesday, who nodded as though satisfied. But to Enid she looked disgruntled still. Best to step in at this point. After all, she was the ship’s ambassador.

‘Thank you for that. It was… unpleasant running into them.’

Larissa offered a sympathetic smile, eyes soft. ‘My pleasure Ms Sinclair. I’ve investigated your ties to them of course, protocol, and I appreciate your ethical stance with them. It can’t have been easy to push back like that.’

Enid flushed. ‘I thought you would disapprove of mutiny.’

‘I disapprove of orbital bombardment more’ Larissa’s voice was stern, and Enid saw her eyes dart to Wednesday. Oops.

‘Are you also handling that? That seems complicated. Given the alien situation’ Enid jumped in, stumbling over the words just to make sure Wednesday didn’t respond. She half expected Wednesday to still speak but she was being quiet and observant.

‘Formally speaking, I’m not “handling” any of this directly. Merely overseeing. However, I am aware of many of the moving parts. This meeting is to make sure I can fully assist and make sure we all get out of this safely.’

‘Your concern is…’

‘Appreciated!’ Enid broke in before Wednesday could finish her acidic sarcasm. Enid shot Wednesday an enquiring look and got only an acknowledgement and a gesture to continue. Frustrating but at least Wednesday was letting Enid work.

‘I can already see how this is going to go on the stand’ Larissa sighed, leaning back. ‘Ms Addams, I know your family has a loose relationship with the law but I’m given to understand you know enough to play the game should you choose to. Please… choose to.’

Enid looked to Wednesday, who insisted on maintaining an impassive expression that even Enid couldn’t read.

‘Ms Addams,’ Larissa sighed, rubbing her nose in annoyance. ‘Our analysts, and yes, we have had analysts at you, say that you’ll respond most favourably to forthrightness. So I’ll lay it out for you. They also say you’re smart enough to take advantage of the situation even if we tried to withhold information so I’ve decided to be honest. We would like, but do not need, you and Ms Sinclair available for the discussions with the Arthropoda. I do not know how but Eugene’s papers are very clear that the two of you have a unique capacity to understand and communicate with them. While we are willing to cut you out if you make this too difficult for us, I would very much prefer you were available for cooperation and not in a holding cell awaiting your other trials. Is that clear enough?’

‘Yes, of course. We don’t want any trouble’ Enid insisted.

‘I would like to hear it from her’ Larissa smiled tolerantly.

Enid looked imploringly to Wednesday.

Wednesday sat infuriated. This woman was ridiculously hard to read. She presented expressions that were all carefully crafted. It was good artifice, but the depth of each and how quickly they fell away were clues that it was the same brand of artifice Wednesday used when she needed something.

It was gratifying to know she could have made it in politics if she wanted to but she had not lived her life amongst leeches like these.

‘Would you prefer the media perceive our relationship as cooperative or adversarial’ Wednesday probed. The android had controlled the path of conversation while she remained quiet and it had been an interesting sequence of topics she touched on.

From the question of Laurel Gates she had quickly moved to Enid’s family and personal history, Wednesday’s alleged crimes against humanity and her own position of authority. From there she expressed a desire for how Wednesday would behave. It was a well crafted sequence to put one in place, if intentionally achieved.

And how Wednesday responded would give away much. Asking that question at all put Wednesday in a subservient position but left her enough room to twist and bite should Weems answer honestly.

‘I would rather your true cooperation’ Weems stated bluntly, tapping her finger on the desk to emphasise. ‘The media can be controlled to a point but I am more concerned with the alien empire lurking out in the dark.’

‘They don’t seem to have FTL technology’ Enid offered.

‘Eugene’s report was quite… complete’ Larissa answered, tapping at her desk and setting the lines of text streaming between them in a holo-display. ‘He could work on his brevity and clarity though. Are you stating they have no technology?’

‘That would be inaccurate’ Wednesday felt herself saying, drawn out by the inaccuracy. ‘It would be more correct to say they highly advanced biotechnology which they use in place of what humans would consider using. And by extension, our artificial intelligences.’

No extra reaction. Wednesday had laid the emphasis but no flickered response. This would be easier to probe with Enid’s assistance. She was more skilled at social engineering. And yet, to convey it would be difficult without discovery. Wednesday doubted she would be able to express it over the psychic channel she had opened with her love.

Her love who was very obviously pouting at her. Oops. What had Wednesday done now? Had she been obviously antagonistic?

No… No, that wasn’t it.

No, focus. Their relationship was stable enough to handle a little rudeness at a third party and Wednesday had enough to focus on with the body-double in front of her. Wait, was it that simple? An android body double to keep the real Larissa Weems safe from Wednesday?

Well that was just rude! And also such body doubles should not be available yet. Back to the original theory.

‘I see. But their communications technology, for lack of a better term. In your time with them, have you gotten any closer to understanding it?’

Hmm… if Wednesday was cooperating then she would reveal new information here. If she were belligerent, she could withhold it. But what would that buy her?

‘There appears to be a wavelength, although apparently not in the EM spectrum, that they are capable of projecting and receiving. I have experimented with some corpses they provided to prove the existence of this field with measurable physical values. This is what forms the foundation of their extra-ordinary communication and cooperation. It is also the cause of the headaches some humans experience in their presence. Some humans, such as ourselves, have increased sensitivity.’

‘What she said,’ Enid nodded, sounding relieved.

‘That seems… We’ll have to verify it’ Larissa answered, sounding sceptical.

‘I have a paper prepared’ Wednesday replied, fishing around in her suit before realising she had left the data drive in her jumpsuit. ‘I’ll have that sent over.’

‘If you would. Are there any other scientific discoveries you would like to declare?’

‘I think Wednesday’s psychic now’ Enid jumped in, causing Wednesday to wince.

‘Because she can speak to the aliens?’ Larissa smirked, mockingly. Wednesday’s vision immediately went red. While she wanted that hidden what right had Larissa Weems to mock Enid?

‘More than that’ Enid frowned. Larissa’s smirk softened although she did turn to Wednesday for explanation.

Fine. All that work to establish a connection went up in smoke the moment she dared dismiss Enid.

‘While I don’t agree with Enid’s summary of it, nor do I like the term, I am sensitive to the same fields that the Arthropoda are.’

‘And what does that allow you to do? Can you read cards? Communicate over long distances?’

Wednesday’s eyes narrowed as she focused her eyes on every detail of what was to come.

‘I can detect nearby organic minds.’

Larissa’s expression froze.

‘Funny that’ Wednesday tilted her head, keeping the smile from her face.

Chapter Text

‘Ms Addams’ Larissa breathed. ‘I don’t know what you think you know…’

Wednesday caught Enid turning from the corner of her eye. She was picking up on Weems’ unease and looking for the source of it. They may have looked better as a united front but better Enid maintain plausible deniability.

If Weems wanted Wednesday to play the game, she damned well was going to win it.

‘I’m just informing you of some interesting information’ Wednesday answered with feigned innocence. ‘If the truth is a matter of concern to you… well that brings into question our relationship.’

Wednesday considered batting her eyes but that was probably too much. Larissa Weems already looked like she had swallowed a lemon.

Larissa’s hand fell to the glass desk and a few taps later the blinds descended and a hum filled the air. Typical privacy devices to block light and sound. But then a distinctive ozone smell reached Wednesday’s nose that meant electromagnetic bafflers were active too.

Fascinating.

And quite painful.

‘What exactly are you implying Ms Addams?’

‘I’m aware that a woman named Larissa Weems went to school with my mother for a while. And supposedly the same woman went on to head the UWSA’ Wednesday managed to bite out, without giving away too much the bafflers were hurting her head. Even as she closed her mental eye they still stung, although a sideways glance at Enid revealed no pain in her.

What it revealed was a very angry blonde woman.

‘And if I said that was true…’ Larissa asked lightly, tapping her fingers.

‘I would very much like…’ Wednesday winced as there was a momentary spike in the bafflers and apparently that was enough.

‘Ms Weems, you seem nice’ Enid growled, on her feet and leaning on the glass table, fists clenched. ‘And I’m fully aware that Wednesday can be a brat, but I would like to state firmly, that neither of us respond well to being threatened.’

Threatened? Ah, the lights and the buzzing. Even if Enid had not caught on that Wednesday was pained then she likely would have interpreted it as threatening.

‘Besides, Thing does this stuff way better and we live with him’ Enid concluded.

The android that claimed to be Larissa had gone from steely faced to fully befuddled, which suggested a high degree of bodily integration. Wednesday made a mental note as she tapped Enid’s wrist.

‘Mia lupa, she’s not threatening us. These are counter-observation measures to keep what we say here private.’

‘Oh,’ Enid blushed, falling back into her seat. She still shot Wednesday an uneasy look, tapping the side of her head. Wednesday shook a negative and Enid frowned. ‘Fine. Go back to whatever secretive… innuendo conversation you two were having. I’ll just be here.’

The mood was fully spoiled. Larissa just looked stunned, Enid looked huffy and now Wednesday had a headache which she had to hide lest the weakness of her abilities was revealed. Wonderful.

‘There is no need for our conversation to be adversarial’ Wednesday started before Larissa could respond. Given how slow the Larissa-bot reacted, even if it was an AI it was clearly throttled in such a way to have human-speed responses and decision making. A torturous crippling if true. ‘If you wish time to consider before responding I will grant it.’

‘How charitable,’ Larissa answered drolly. ‘I’m sure you understand I did not come in today expecting to discuss this, so if we may leave my personal matters for another time?’

On balance, the volleys between the two of them could be called a draw, but Enid was looking pouty with arms crossed and sat slumped. That probably wasn’t good. Had Wednesday caused her the upset? It seemed unlikely Enid would adopt that posture if she was upset with Larissa or Enid herself.

‘A moment’ Wednesday stated and closed her eyes.

Enid had misinterpreted the situation in a way that caused her embarrassment.

Enid’s misinterpretation had come about by Wednesday and Larissa being secretive.

Enid had actively been trying to “be nice” and “make friends.”

Wednesday had alluded to a secret that Larissa knew and Enid did not.

From Enid’s perspective, she had not been made aware of something Wednesday knew.

It appeared Wednesday was cutting Enid out again.

Wednesday opened her eyes to a raised eyebrow from Larissa-bot and a grudgingly curious look from Enid.

‘Apologies Enid. I found out only as we were entering the room. I did not mean to leave you out.’

Enid blinked and her posture immediately opened up. She still looked somewhat embarrassed but a small smile emerged on her lips as she nodded and gestured back to Larissa.

‘It’s cool. You don’t have to tell me right now. Just… fill me in later?’

Wednesday nodded and the android presenting as Larissa Weems issued a loud groan to call back their attention.

‘If we might proceed without dredging up personal matters of any of the three of us, please inform me of what you can about the Arthropoda behaviours and their thought patterns. I thought we would have more time for this discussion but these diversions have quite thrown off my schedule. Please, their likely negotiating tactics, along with their desires as you have gleaned. If these have been obtained by… “psychic” mechanisms, please say so so that I can relay that to our diplomatic planning team.’

‘I would rather you left any mention of psychics out of it for now’ Wednesday interposed. She was not in the mood to reveal that particular detail yet. 

‘Very well. I will leave it off the record but I need to know in case data obtained in that way is unreliable.’

Or more likely, to verify if Wednesday had such abilities. Still, the request was reasonable and so Wednesday conceded the point.

-

The rest of the information was presented as a combined performance. Enid was the one that actually enjoyed sharing and after the earlier unpleasantness Wednesday made sure to keep her included. Enid often expressed opinions that Wednesday suspected leant towards anthropomorphising the Arthropoda and tried to indicate to Weems as such without outright contradicting Enid.

The android called Larissa did seem to pick it up but from Enid’s frown she did too. Still, this was important from the stance of scientific rigor so Wednesday maintained her stance.

‘They think like a collective’ Enid stressed. ‘Just because you’re speaking to the central brain-bug, don’t think it’s making the decision. It’s more of a collective consciousness. And if they’re a bit slow pulling their response together that’s why. You have to be patient.’

Accurate enough. Wednesday was keenly aware this was not the official debriefing and so some informal inaccuracies were fine.

Larissa was most likely gauging how the two of them responded under scrutiny, rather than actually trying to gather all the necessary information in the here and now. And when she had switched off the anti-surveillance measures she doubtless started recording the two of them.

Weems nodded along before glancing at a portion of her desk that was unreadable from Wednesday’s side.

‘Thank you very much ladies. This had been… informative. But I believe we have to draw this interview to a close. Your formal debriefing and deposition will be in two days. It’s taking us some time to pull the necessary people from their existing assignments, given your early arrival. I suggest you use that time to put together some written notes.’

Enid turned to Wednesday with a pleading look in her eyes. She obviously was asking Wednesday to write it for her. Wednesday’s own thought was whether she really was being given a writing assignment at her current age.

‘We will see what we can do’ Wednesday answered bluntly and non-committedly.

‘Our thanks’ Weems answered sardonically. ‘A security escort will take you back to the Addams compound. They’re waiting downstairs.’

‘We didn’t need one before’ Enid objected. ‘And we have another appointment.’

Enid shouldn’t know what that appointment was but apparently she had determined it was important. Which it was but it was also a surprise.

‘After that little scuffle in the lobby, it’s clear we need to carefully manage who can access you. Please understand.’

Wednesday judged Weems had likely stopped recording, and there was no formal documentation being handed over with regards to this instruction.

‘Before we meet them, is there a bathroom nearby?’

Weems seemed relieved that Wednesday was not fighting her on this, which meant the android had clearly failed to grasp her personality. She nodded even as she turned her attention to something in her desk display.

‘Just down the hall and around the corner. At the end.’

Wednesday rose stiffly and inclined her head. She felt like she should say something cutting but drew a blank and Enid had already stepped forward and was saying something bright and pleasant. Leaving her better half to make their farewells Wednesday opened the door to find the secretary-droid waiting.

Wednesday sidestepped it despite it’s offer to lead them downstairs and when Enid followed she overheard the other girl saying they would be back in a minute.

Heading down the hall Wednesday made her way unerringly to the bathroom. She had already looked into the building’s layout and determined it was the best way to make their exit.

Wednesday had hoped that her earlier concessions would grant her some leniency in making her way here and was rewarded with an empty bathroom and no chaperones. Enid was watching her curiously and that curiosity became concern as Wednesday headed to the window and snapped the lock off.

‘Umm… Wednesday?’

‘Don’t worry’ Wednesday smiled over her shoulder. It felt good to be able to smile at Enid, now that they were no longer being observed, and how strange that was. Once it had been painful to smile, even when there was cause for joy. Now keeping it supressed around Enid felt unnatural. ‘It’s all part of the plan.’

Pulling apart her tie pin, Wednesday reassembled the metal into a tri-bladed hook. Taking the tie itself off, she extracted the cable within it and in a few moments had a very serviceable grappling hook. Pulling a lighter from her pocket, she held the flame under the re-formed tie-pin to lock the smart-metal into its new configuration.

‘What do you mean “the plan?”’ Enid pressed.

‘I expected they would try to limit our freedoms once we returned to Earth. And there is one very important thing I wish taken care of before they tighten security on us.’

Wednesday’s glance at Enid’s face revealed a concerned frown. If Enid asked her not to do this, she would withdraw. After all, she had no desire to see Enid’s parents’ either.

‘You could have told me earlier’ Enid pouted.

‘I thought you would not like to lie while here’ Wednesday answered immediately, before realising that once again she was not including Enid. Twice in the past hour! This really was something she would have to work on. Things were just so much more complicated the more people were around. She rarely had the opportunity to make this mistake so frequently when it was just the two of them and Thing.

‘I’m sorry’ Wednesday jumped in before Enid could respond. ‘This is the second time today I have made the mistake of not giving you the choice.’

Enid heaved a sigh, looking off to the side.

‘Well at least you don’t need it pointed out anymore.’

Enid considered for a moment longer.

‘Fine, we’ll do your silly breakout plan. Where are we even going?’

This was the part where Wednesday was more uncertain how Enid would react.

‘I thought it would be prudent for me to introduce myself to your parents.’

Her parents?

Enid was nervous about the idea but if this was their only chance... And she really had missed them both. Suddenly, with Wednesday by her side, she felt pretty good about the idea and was looking forward to it. The meeting with the Addams had been so great, surely her parents would be glad to see her too.

Stepping up to Wednesday’s side she found herself quite pleased, and from the look in Wednesday’s eyes she knew that, at least in part, this plan had been for Enid’s benefit.

Still would have been nice to be told but hey, progress.

‘Let’s go. What’s the plan?’

Enid glanced out the window Wednesday had broken and found they were pretty high up. She was hit with a strange and momentary vertigo. When was the last time she had been high up enough in a gravity well to be hurt by a fall? She was denser now. Was that better or worse?

Permission granted, Wednesday grinned and hurled the line out the window to a nearby building where the hook wrapped around a pipe and a sharp tug had it locking onto it’s own cord. Wednesday tied the other end, the one she held, off on a toilet base in the nearest stall.

‘Will it hold?’ Enid asked nervously, sticking her head out the small window.

‘It’s rated for a hundred times our combined weight’ Wednesday promised, as she offered the tie to Enid. ‘Just keep hold on to the tie and slide to the other end.’

Grappling hook, cable, and slide tool. All in one tie? Was this how Wednesday carried all her tools? What else was she packing?

Enid knew she was just distracting herself from the insanity of this plan. With Wednesday, a lot of things had become normal, but she was still slipping out a small window several floors up. And yet, despite the craziness of it all, she had no fear of falling.

Enid took a moment to gauge their surroundings. The lip of the building they stood on gave her a place to plant her feet as she readied herself for this fresh lunacy. They were not facing the main street but instead the short distance over an alley to a building a little shorter than their own so they had a nice downward slope.

And the distance was none too large. With a running jump Enid was certain she could have cleared it. And in the space below were trees and a pool of water, some sort of garden space between the buildings. Everything about this escape was safe and... too well planned.

‘Are you sure you can’t see the future’ Enid asked Wednesday teasingly.

‘I looked up the building blueprints before and planned accordingly’ Wednesday shrugged. ‘I don’t see the future. I write it.’

Enid snorted and wrapped the tie around first one hand, then the cord, then the other hand. With nerves tingling in her stomach she slowly lowered herself down and kicked off the building. She easily slid down the cord and across the space, landing on her feet on the other building.

Within moments, Wednesday joined her, unwrapping a spare tie from her hands and putting it back on in place of the one Enid held.

‘Come on. Fester is waiting with the car.’

Chapter Text

‘There were definitely less dramatic ways to escape’ Enid mused, leaning against Wednesday in the backseat of the car. It wasn’t the Addams’ hearse, and the locked briefcase kicked under the driver’s seat gave Enid many questions about how the car had been “acquired” but she was using her right to silence to avoid asking.

‘But that one was a classic’ Fester complained from the driver’s seat, turning in his off-kilter driver’s cap.

Despite his hands on the wheel and the frequent twists he gave it, the car flowed smoothly along the roads with the auto-pilot politely ignoring the insane inputs he was giving the vehicle. But he still seemed to be having fun.

Wednesday was sat leaning back, eyes closed and rubbing her temples. She had admitted to Enid that the anti-surveillance bafflers had given her a small headache, and even taken half a painkiller when Enid suggested it, but there was precious little to be done. Time would be the only cure there.

And Enid was more concerned about what was probably another state secret she wasn’t supposed to know. The head of the UWSA was an android? Was that something she really wanted to get into on top of everything else. She already had enough to talk about with her parents.

As they whizzed along towards her parent’s apartment, Enid found her nerves starting to eat away at her eagerness. How would Wednesday compare Enid’s apartment to her family mansion? Would her mother be able to keep from saying something that would piss Wednesday off? How were they even going to begin approaching the mess that was the Crackstone/Bloodmoon/death-augment angle?

Wednesday gave Enid a reassuring rub on the back meaning she had spotted the distress and Enid looked up at Wednesday’s impassive face. She was used to some expression from the girl and could still pick out some, but between all the strangers she had been running into Wednesday was clearly falling back into old habits and having difficulty switching them on and off.

‘Are you nervous?’ Enid asked, making eye contact.

Wednesday tilted her head, glanced at Fester, and then looked down again. ‘No.’

Right, that was back too.

Enid blew out a breath. No, this was probably better for meeting the parents. Better they thought Wednesday arrogant and cold rather than… well, psychotic.

‘Good. Because I am. What do we even talk about?’

‘You have difficulty talking?’ Wednesday asked with such dripping sarcasm Enid snorted. Cold Wednesday still had her cutting humour.

‘Well, how long will we have? Did they say they were taking the day off?’

‘Your mother has no other appointments today.’

Enid was about to move on before she really focused on what Wednesday was saying.

‘Wednesday… they are expecting us, right?’

‘Oh look, we’re here’ Wednesday answered, pulling away and stepping out of the slowing but still moving car.

‘Wednesday!’

Enid stumbled out of the car after her only to find herself struck with nostalgia. She knew this street. Not just being familiar but she knew it. The last four years of her life on Earth had been here. Maybe not that long but… she had left in a hurry.

The buildings had been given a fresh coat of paint but the same stores at street and first level hung about. There was the grocers who sold her the kale she had forced her family to start eating for something approaching greens. And who had given her a recipe for alternate protein foods. Not that Enid had ever cooked it halfway decently. What was her name? Did she still work there?

The steps up to her apartment building looked the exact same too. Hell, the kids coming out with a street-hocket set in their arms could have been the same kids that had been there the first day she moved in.

‘Are you alright?’ Wednesday asked, hand reaching out but not quite touching.

‘Yeah’ Enid shook herself. ‘Just didn’t expect it to affect me so much.’

Enid turned to look around the street before realising that Fester and his stolen car had already vanished. Which was probably for the best.

As Enid started psyching herself up, her phone buzzed. Popping it out, and ignoring Wednesday’s heavy side eye, she saw Thing on the other end. Opening the call, she held him up to her ear.

Whoom whoom whoom. Tap tap grreerp whoom.

‘Ah, thanks Thing. But I have Wednesday for moral support.’

… tap tick boom

‘No, she’s going to be on good behaviour? Right Wednesday?’

Wednesday’s flat look promised the exact opposite.

Pbbttt…

‘Fine, you can come along too. Wednesday?’

‘What?’

‘I don’t have a chest pocket.’

It took Wednesday only a moment for her to realise what was being asked and with a sigh, she took the phone and tucked it into her pocket, camera up. The pink and silver case didn’t work with the all black suit but she did it and a moment later, Enid felt her smart-band, almost forgotten, give a buzz to show Thing was watching and listening.

‘Thanks buddies.’

Enid started towards the front door even as Wednesday growled ‘Buddies?’ down at the phone in her pocket.

Enid brushed the building as she reached the door. The concrete had been given a fresh coat of paint at some point, but it was the same shade of off-pink cream with green highlights at the windowsills. The touch-screen controlling the door was old and cracked and when she tapped her code in it immediately opened for her.

Should she have called up first? Maybe. But she had wanted to see if the code worked and it had.

The old lift rushed her and Wednesday up and in what felt like a blink she was at her front door.

She hesitated.

She knocked.

There was the sound of movement on the other side. A dejected shuffle and then the door was thrown open. Her mother towered on the other side.

Esther Sinclair was a full-combat augment, with the scars to show she had not been born to it. Closing in on seven feet she had lost some of the muscle she had developed during deployments but still looked like she could have happily tossed a car. The loose-knit wool cardigan and scarf did diminish the look a little bit and her hair had gone fully grey from the stress but other than some fresh wrinkles… it was her mother.

Enid stepped forward and enfolded the shocked woman in a hug.

‘Hi Mom. I’m home.’

Enid felt Esther’s arms wrap around her a second later, crushing her close. Her mother had never quite figured out how to hold back her strength but though Enid felt the same force behind it, she was different now.

It wasn’t crushing her anymore. She squeezed tighter and though she heard her mother grunt in surprise they just held it for a moment.

Enid heard a definite tut from behind but ignored that too. She deserved this.

When she was ready, she pulled back.

‘Mom, this is Wednesday. Wednesday, my mom.’

Wednesday gave a perfunctory nod but Esther just looked shaken.

‘This is her then?’

Enid stared at her mother horrified. Esther was blunt but being rude to Wednesday? And when Enid’s eyes moved over to Wednesday the girl was flat faced. She wasn’t even angry, just hurt. And that hurt Enid.

Enid was about to tear into her mother when she heard a voice that fully turned her around.

‘Esther? Who is it?’

Enid darted past her mother who moved too slowly to even catch her as Enid burst around the corner.

Standing in the doorway to their bedroom, leant on a crutch, was her father. He stared at her agog as she felt herself tear up. He was wearing the same woollen jumper she had bought him for his birthday when he first stopped deploying.

She rushed in to hug him and he folded himself around her, crutch clattering to the ground loudly. He was so thin. They had to disable some of his augments while he was treated but the man was now basically a beanpole. He was probably still super strong but at his height… and he had always been…

Enid squeezed him tight as he hiccupped between sobbing and chuckling and felt awful at how easily her arms went around him.

Wednesday felt distinctly uncomfortable in this situation.

She was not part of this. Not in any meaningful way. Enid’s ungainly giant of a mother and… acceptable caricature of a father were not her family. She was not their daughter. And likely never would be.

They sat with Enid between them on the couch, Esther fussing vapidly while Murray seemed unable to quite express his emotions. Not that Wednesday had any place to judge there but it made sense now how quickly Enid had come to understand Thing. She was already used to one largely mute presence in her life.

At Enid’s insistence Wednesday had perched on the other couch, perpendicular to the one on which the Sinclair family currently sat. Esther had managed to position herself between Wednesday and Enid while Murray was offering tea so when he returned with Enid’s favourite soda and a glass of warm water for Wednesday he was sat on the end.

His crutch seemed not to be an affectation, which given the medical technology he should have had access to was concerning. This was Earth and he was an augment. How badly had things gone wrong?

‘Why didn’t you come straight home’ Esther whined, pawing at Enid’s shirt. It wasn’t Enid’s usual look but there was nothing wrong with it. Why could this woman not leave well enough alone?

‘Wednesday’s was the only ship I knew was coming. And it was delivering life saving equipment’ Enid chimed. ‘We weren’t going to turn around just for me.’

Esther shot Wednesday a foul look which was somewhat confusing. While Wednesday knew she upset people on general principle they were normally better at conforming to societal norms about waiting for an excuse. What could it be?

Esther had close ties to Crackstone who would likely besmirch Wednesday at every opportunity. That could be it. But the general issue with Crackstone attempting to wipe out a colony would make any logical person question their version of events.

Not that Esther seemed particularly logical.

Wednesday had also stolen away their daughter which she was led to believe could be problematic for some mothers. But they hadn’t actually mentioned the engagement yet. Enid seemed reluctant to share with her family over messaging. Although now they were physically in Esther’s presence, she did not seem any more eager to share.

The conversation had moved on a bit at the point Wednesday checked back in and Enid was excitingly going over their adventures together. It was a little endearing how excited Enid was to share those stories with her family. It was told with traditional Enid meandering and excitations which Murray patiently sat through.

But Esther?

Esther cut in with questions and not even good questions. These were not questions to expand, or to understand. These were questions to cut down. To minimize. To make Enid small.

Wednesday seethed and opened her mouth but Enid caught her eye and gave a small shake of the head.

Why? Why be silent? Why put up with this?

‘If you would let her finish talking maybe you would be better informed’ Wednesday shot at Esther, pretending not to see the look of horror on Enid’s face.

‘Well forgive me for expressing an interest in my daughter’s life. Why are you still here?’

‘She’s here because she’s a very good friend and my fut…’

‘Friend!’ Esther barked, interrupting Enid. ‘She’s a criminal on a dozen worlds who dragged you into a civil war.’

‘I would hardly consider…’

‘Wednesday! Let me handle this’ Enid interrupted.

Esther looked insufferably smug which lasted until Enid placed both hands on the woman’s shoulders and twisted her around to look her in the face.

‘Mom, Wednesday did not drag me into anything. She has always given me a choices. She’s…’

‘Well I’m sure’ Esther started.

‘Shush. You don’t talk now’

And Esther was so shocked she didn’t. Mouth hanging open in shock.

‘I’ve tried… so hard, to be the daughter you wanted. But I’m not going to be. I’ve made my own choices and I stand by them. And one of them is that I am marrying that girl over there. Wednesday is my fiancée and I couldn’t be happier about that.’

The startled silence that followed was deeply gratifying to Wednesday as she took in Enid’s flushed face.

‘Also, I’m dying so there’s that.’

Chapter Text

‘That’s not going to happen’ Wednesday growled immediately.

Enid looked at her fiancée whose dark eyes flashed in that angry way that always warmed Enid inside but this was her time, not Wednesday’s.

‘Look Mom, Dad? You know those regular check-ups Crackstone runs? At one of those they slipped something in my system. Something bad. It’s called Bloodmoon and I don’t know all the details but the one guy who knew anything about it said that all the subjects had died. One hundred percent rejection rate.’

Enid felt her father’s grip on her shoulders tighten, old corded muscles squeezing down. He immediately relaxed the grip, used to being strong enough that even that could have hurt his daughter. But she was fine. She looked back at him and gave a reassuring smile.

‘What can we do?’

Her father’s face was stony, eyes hyper-focused. Like he was ready to fight whatever she pointed him at without question.

‘Not much,’ Enid smirked, even as she felt her eyes start to water. ‘We’ve tried filtering whatever it is out of me but it’s been months. It gives me mood swings and enhanced strength and other physical stuff. Wednesday knows the science better but I know its more than what you two gave me. I’ve taken hits that should have folded me, and beaten people far better equipped. But when the mood swings hit I’m just… I’m not me anymore. I’m something… else. I do things I would never do.’

‘We can stop it’ Wednesday hissed. Enid looked up at the woman who accepted every part of her without question and smiled.

‘Yes, we can. But I’m not going to take things slow any more. I might not have the time. So I’m going to tell my family, and we’re going to deal with it together.’

Enid gave her father and mother a hug, pulling them both in and squeezing tight. And though her mother shifted uncomfortably, she had never been good at affection in front of other people, her father gave her a crushing hold.

‘Tell us what you need.’

‘Well if Crackstone did this, did they ever ask anything weird? You mentioned they were super pushy after I vanished. Did you record their questions?’

‘They were just annoyed that you had run out on your contract’ Esther wailed but Enid looked to her father. He gave a small nod that her mother missed and Enid grinned. So he had something!

‘No. No Crackstone has been good to this family and…’

‘And they tried to have me killed on multiple occasions. Hell, one of them tried to trigger me in the UWSA this morning like a stars-spawned weapon.’

‘You were in the UWSA?’ her mother screeched.

Damn it all, this was happening all out of order. Wednesday could have explained this so much better. Or perhaps not, since she had a knife in hand and looked ready to stick it Esther’s back.

Ah, the family Enid cherished. All of them.

‘Wednesday, no. Mom, I’m gonna give you a bit to work through whatever is driving you up the wall right now but just understand that Crackstone… terrible people. Just the absolute worst. And we need to get Edgar out of wherever he’s been deployed because I’m pretty sure Laurel threatened… Wednesday, did Laurel threaten Edgar?’

‘Yes, but in a way that’s deniable in court’ Wednesday sighed, vanishing the knife into her sleeve only to produce another that she flipped over her fingers. This one flashed a lot brighter than Wednesday’s normal knives. It looked like it might be real silver too.

It certainly caught the attention of Enid’s parents. Although neither looked like they quite knew how to address it.

‘Oh this?’ Wednesday glanced down at the blade. ‘It’s family tradition to offer a blade to the parents’ of the bride. Well, at the earliest point of the courtship but we weren’t here. I wasn’t going to but my parents had it prepared already.’

She placed it down on the table and looked away.

‘You’re marrying her?’ Esther asked. There was no way to truly capture the absolute confusion in Esther’s face and Enid was scared to glance at her father. This hadn’t been the introduction she intended.

But in fairness, it was a pretty accurate representation of Wednesday Addams.

‘Yeah. She makes me happy.’

Wednesday felt her heart sing at those four words. She and Enid had, more often than Wednesday ever expected, talked about their emotions. Where they were in the relationship and how they made each other feel.

But those four words were the only thing Wednesday needed to know. She was aware that she was flawed, and perhaps an ill match in some ways, but as long as she made Enid happy that was enough. No one else’s opinion mattered.

Enid, at her father’s gentle prodding and perhaps to stymy her mother’s attempts to defend Crackstone, began explaining where their information had come from. It went right back to the start of their relationship, when they saved LV-426 and went down to investigate the colony. Where they had encountered the scientist Thorpe and Bianca, and where Thorpe had revealed he had worked on the Bloodmoon project.

And it’s abysmal success rate of zero percent. Wednesday’s mind plucked at that over and over. She had been unable to examine whatever it was Thorpe had seen but two things were very clear from her studies. The first was that her presence had a calming influence on Enid, and to prove that was not mere platitude, so were the Arthropoda of Rasczack. That had influenced her decision to bring them with her back to Earth, as the presence of that colony and herself had kept Enid stable.

What she did not know was if that was enough.

Would staying by Enid’s side fully suppress any further changes, or merely delay? It was not inevitable. Wednesday would not use that descriptor even in the privacy of her own head. This would be stopped.

But Enid’s body was now superhumanly tough as though under a constant string of micro-surgeries to improve every physical aspect. And the girl could snap, and Wednesday would not lie and pretend it was a normal anger.

She could not imagine Enid eating one of the man-sized bugs of Rasczack otherwise.

Enid was answering questions from her mother and father, occasionally passing the more technical questions to Wednesday, who answered swiftly and briefly. She doubted either of them would appreciate a truly deep report. Esther still seemed doubtful and trying to poke holes in the story.

She would take longer to be convinced, if ever. The main thing seemed to be she refused to conceive that she could be wrong. And statements to the contrary did not seem to be endearing Wednesday to her future mother-in-law.

Thing, watching from her pocket, gave a buzz. Glancing down she pulled out Enid’s phone where the messenger application opened.

Thing quickly typed a set of pictograms into the display, although Enid’s device seemed to have retextured them into some sort of cutesy-sterilised version. Did Thing use different images for Enid?

Newspaper, human, magnifying glass, street-sign. Clock at a quarter to midnight.

‘Well,’ Wednesday snapped, tucking the device back into her pocket, camera outwards. ‘This has been… pleasant. But Enid and I must depart.’

‘She’s not going anywhere’ Esther immediately snapped, grabbing for Enid’s wrist only for Wednesday’s fiancée to flinch out of the way. Esther seemed startled to have been evaded but Enid, who actually mattered, was looking to Wednesday for an explanation.

‘Reporters have just searched up this address’ Wednesday explained. ‘Someone has realised that we are back on planet.’

Murray seemed to remember something and forced his way to his feet with a grunt. Enid went with her father to the counter while Esther stood herself.

‘What does that matter? This is her home.’

‘We’re not supposed to be here’ Enid called back over her shoulder. ‘Full information quarantine. We had to sneak… Oh my stars! Wednesday‼!’

Enid squealed, grabbing something from her father’s hand and jumping across the low table in the centre of the room to bounce in front of Wednesday.

‘We made the home page of the Glam Slam!’

Wednesday blinked at the bright colours and invasive titles that were a grave misuse of any language system before finally realising that one of the articles was,

Mysterious Ship Under UWSA Guard. The Mysterious Addams returns?!

‘Dad kept my subscription going and downloaded them all. But we’re in it’ Enid squealed.

Wednesday wanted to make a cutting remark but forced herself to assess the “news” publication Enid had pushed in front of her. A lot of it talked about “celebrity,” current music and… Well Wednesday did not even recognise what some of these articles were about but the essence of the periodical was neither scientific nor political. That she and Enid had even made a sub-article on their front page meant either it was a slow news day or they had gathered even more attention than Wednesday had anticipated.

‘Take it’ Murray was rumbling to Enid, who clutched the tablet excitedly.

‘What?! Murray, she can’t just go…’

‘We’re not in a position to field reporters’ Murray rumbled. ‘We don’t want to make problems for Enid. She should go to the Addams compound. It’s far more defensible.’

‘It’s a deathtrap!’ Esther shot back, which might be the kindest thing she had said today. Wednesday had helped design some of those traps.

‘We’ll visit again soon’ Enid promised, giving her dad a firm hug. Wednesday saw the flicker of pain in the man that he hid from Enid as he embraced her back. Normally, she would feel nothing at it but with Grandmama passing soon…

‘Would you like any assistance?’ she found herself asking. ‘Accommodations for your leg or a visit from our doctors?’

Murray gave a flat look even as Esther squawked something. Behind those grey eyes were many thoughts but he seemed unwilling to share them for now.

‘No. This is enough. Take care of Enid.’

Wednesday nodded and moved towards the exit, leaving Enid to make her goodbyes. Pulling out her tablet she instructed Thing to send for an automated cab, keeping her name out of it. They did not want to leave a trail. Although given how long it seemed to be taking Enid to say goodbye to her family, the reporters might still reach them first.

It had been a frantic morning and already Wednesday was feeling tired. There would be much to do when she got home, not least of which a report prepared for the UWSA on everything she knew of the Arthropoda that would be relevant in negotiations.

An unofficial and insincere apology for evading them this morning.

Then to interrogate… no. To ask her mother about Larissa Weems and what that might mean. Wednesday would need to give her own explanation as to why she was asking. She had given a brief descriptor of events on Rasczack to her family but much of what she had discovered had been on the journey home with communications cut off.

And she would insist they determine how to refer to this in a way that did not come across as “psychic.”

The problem being her father would be delighted to call her a psychic. And her mother would follow along. Pugsley would be her only ally, if Fester even managed to pay enough attention. And Grandmama was still happily calling herself a witch and would demand Wednesday take up the mantle.

Honour that that would be, Wednesday wanted something a bit more rigorous before she put pen to paper.

Enid came to her side with a smile and opened the door for both of them. Murray left them at the door while Esther came out with them, glaring down at Wednesday. But Wednesday had received a lot of glares in her life, some even from people this tall. She had yet to be cowed.

Enid continued to talk at Esther all the way down, filling the silence nervously until they arrived at the bottom.

‘You come back as soon as you can dear’ Esther cooed, feigning the affection she had denied all the way through this meeting in an attempt to lure Enid back. ‘Your father and I are only ever a phonecall away.’

On a whim, Wednesday cracked open her extra senses, trying to focus them down on just Esther. It was a partial success, revealing Esther’s mind, spinning with dense feelings of inadequacy, anger and sorrow. Wednesday was somewhat surprised, as these were not the feelings Esther was projecting but for all that these were undeniably real.

Esther was human, with all the failures that entailed.

‘We’ll be fine Mum’ Enid smiled, looking at her mother with true love in her eyes. Enid’s feelings, her mind, presented in a different way to the other humans Wednesday had encountered. Where others had a shell of artifice and rules, Enid just was. She loved her mother, despite the pain. Wednesday only hoped her own love brought Enid no pain.

The thought brought a wince, as the range on her senses started expanding out to the point that other people were being caught in it. Esther gave a cold shiver and checked over her shoulder, which was interesting, but before Wednesday could consider the applications of that, they were interrupted.

There was a man knocking at the front door, nondescript brown hair and plain features. He wore a collared work-shirt, cheap material and in his raised hand was a recording device. Wednesday immediately identified it as a typical model for reporters doing interviews, although the lens should be limited enough she would not be clear on it at this distance and through the door.

‘Excuse me,’ called through the door politely. ‘Do you know which floor the Sinclairs live on?’

Wednesday winced at the realisation they had not outpaced the reporters.

Wednesday glanced at her phone, which showed their taxi was arriving soon.

‘Is there another way out of this building’ she asked Enid. Enid shook her head but glanced at her mother.

‘Mom, go upstairs. We have this.’

Esther looked uncertain but let the lift door close as Enid walked up to the front door.

‘Sorry, don’t know’ she spoke to the reporter in a perfect sweet-faced lie. ‘This building doesn’t have a front desk. You’ll need to call them up.’

The man seemed disappointed but something niggled at Wednesday’s mind. She was distracted, still trying to wrestle her senses closed when she felt Esther slip beyond her range. And that’s when it hit. The reporter had no mind.

That was fine. There were plenty of android reporters although they were supposed to wear identifying markers. This one was too generic though. If you were going to program a reporter you gave them identifiable markers so that the audience could associate with them more strongly.

This one was supposed to hide in a crowd.

How many people had been replaced today?

Wednesday approached carefully, trying to make sure Enid was between her and the hand the reporter was holding the camera in.

‘I don’t suppose you could let me in while I call?’

‘It’s against building policy I’m afraid’ Enid answered, as Wednesday spotted their taxi arriving on the street outside. She tapped Enid’s shoulder and pointed to their vehicle and Enid nodded in understanding.

‘Could you back away so we can get out?’ Enid asked politely, while Wednesday looked for any identifiers of this android. He had a press badge, but it was a fake. The kind you could get in a costume store. It didn’t even have a real scan-pad.

‘No problem’ the reporter backed up with a smile.

Enid opened the door as the man backed away and carefully closed it after Wednesday who kept her face sideways, avoiding looking at the android, or his camera, directly.

Unfortunately, the ruse failed because he then asked her,

‘Wednesday Addams?’

She could have lied. Feigned being someone else. But that would have been giving him power over her and that rubbed against the grain. So she looked him directly in the eyes as she answered,

‘Yes?’

At that moment he dropped the microphone and lunged forward with the knife he had held in his other hand.

Chapter Text

In the instant the reporter lunged for Wednesday, it seemed like the dark-haired girl had already moved, throwing herself into the street. She rolled roughly but to Enid it seemed like the other girl had started moving before the reporter had even started to attack. Enid hadn’t seen it coming but maybe it made sense that Wednesday had.

All that aside Enid found herself struck by a moment of hesitation. Just shock that violence was occurring right here. Right outside her home.

Enid stared in horror as the reporter, face dropping the casual smile it had held for an emotionless mask started to turn towards Wednesday. Completely ignoring Enid.

Well that was stupid.

Enid’s moment of hesitation ended the moment Wednesday was in danger, the dark girl already on her feet in the street, ignoring the man she had stumbled into who had seen the knife and was wisely backing away.

Whoever this knife-pulling asshole was, this was over. Enid didn’t even need the Bloodmoon to take down some reporter. She wrapped both arms around him, putting his top in a full-nelson while she kicked out his knee.

Or that was what she attempted.

Although the kick seemed to put him off balance he did not go down like she expected, and although her grapple had his arms pulled back he pulled with insane strength. Also, he was bloody heavy!

‘Are you an augment?’ she managed to growl out before he headbutted her with the back of his head. The very metallic clonk shook Enid out of her grip and she cursed herself for the lacklustre grapple. She should have known better.

She only stumbled for a quarter second but in that moment, he had dived at Wednesday. The other girl was dancing back. It was almost beautiful the way Wednesday remained just out of reach, even as she barked out seemingly irrelevant words.

‘Assets… remote… perimeter’

Enid did not know what that meant but assumed it was for Thing. Wednesday had her full attention on the assailant who continued to lash out with that knife. Something about it struck Enid as wrong, even as she scrambled to intervene.

First, Wednesday was not even attempting to strike back and Enid had seen Wednesday willingly antagonise people with two feet and sixty kilos on her.

Second, the style of knife use. It was like the kind she had been taught, a modified version of MCMAP intended for augmented humans. It relied on the user’s inherent strength over their opponent. But though the knife moved with speed and accuracy, it was like the whole move was programmed. How much of the person was left under there?

But if this was an augment, anywhere approaching full augmentation given the weight, despite how he did not look it, Enid could not afford to hold back.

With a roar she launched herself at him and twisted. She used the entirety of her weight, his weight and every fibre of reinforced muscle she had in her body to fling him over her shoulder.

In practice, you let go of your opponent and let them fly.

Here and now Enid dug her fingers into his flesh like daggers and rent.

Coppery blood flowed, smelling slightly off as it ran down Enid’s fingers. That put to bed Enid’s hope this had been an android. Though the blood smelled off, androids had a white inner fluid that served as lubricant, liquid battery and damage indicator.

Despite the way they had somehow landed on their feet in the middle of the street, forcing a car to swerve around them, they were probably human.

‘Wednesday, don’t shoot them’ Enid shot over her shoulder.

‘Couldn’t bring a gun today’ Wednesday sighed, dropping a knife into her palm. ‘Not that it would matter.’

‘Care to expl…’ Enid tried to get out but the reporter had flung his knife at Wednesday. He had done it while locking eyes with Enid, blind flinging it, but it was a damn good throw and Enid was almost too slow.

Enid dived, knocking the knife off course and hissing as felt it part some of her arm skin. It also fully ruined this shirt Morticia had modified for her and while Enid knew it was something they had just had lying around that hurt a lot.

‘Enid’ Wednesday shouted, before being forced back as the augment had charged her again. Enid moved to intercept but he blew through her. Not without cost as she once again grabbed his damaged arm and dug in. Enid twisted her hips and went for another throw but received only the strangest sensation. Like she was pulling a very thick sock off a very deformed foot.

When Enid looked up she held in her hand the detached flesh of the arm, hanging limp in her hands while the augment with their metallic skeletal arm continued towards Wednesday.

On pure instinct, without thought, Enid whipped the flesh tube she held in her hand around the augment’s face, blinding him.

The horror of her actions was only held back by the android turning in her direction. So she pulled his arm back and swatted him in the face with it again.

Wednesday stared at Enid beating the android with its own arm and tried to be responsible with the deep feeling of love she was experiencing.

It was entirely inappropriate. This was a life and death situation.

But again, Enid was beating a murderous android about the face with its own arm.

You had to appreciate the little things in life.

Something in Enid’s instincts warned her of the danger and she leapt away from the android, dropping the arm flesh to the floor and shuddering.

A trio of gun-shots roared through the avenue of the street, followed by another set. Three-shot burst rifle. The augment’s head moved and so Enid risked looking as well. Up above her dad was leant on the windowsill, bracing his rifle and firing down. The next three shots went into the augment’s chest and that was when Enid started to suspect that she did not have the physical force to take it down.

The shots went in. Blood came out. And the figure just turned and marched straight for Wednesday who was backing up into the road.

‘Tell me you have a plan’ Enid shouted, preparing to sprint in again. She felt weirdly collected for all the craziness going on. Normally at this point the Bloodmoon would be clamouring for her to start eating her foes, but whatever Wednesday had done this morning seemed to be holding.

Enid guiltily wished it would kick in, because at least she felt stronger then. Right now nothing she did seemed to actually dent their foe. At least the bloody augment was moving at a deliberate horror-movie walk instead of running.

‘Get out of the road’ Wednesday shouted. Enid hesitated, because Wednesday appeared to be whispering something silently but in the end she obeyed. For now.

It wasn’t a moment too soon as, with Enid out of the picture the augment focused fully on Wednesday. The dark girl started moving more gracefully. Not dancing quite but her steps were measured and deliberate, drawing the augment in to match her. For each back step it stepped forward and each side-movement was also matched as it greedily closed the distance.

Until Wednesday side-stepped just far enough to switch lanes. Wednesday immediately pirouetted back just as a grocery truck came barrelling down the road at ninety kilometres an hour. The truck did not swerve this time, taking the man on its front corner and throwing him back into the other lane as a car that had just passed Wednesday came from the direction and slammed it again.

Enid didn’t care how protected your braincase was. That was shaking you out of it.

The whole thing had taken place within a half second, Wednesday leading the augment into the first lane to be hit before stepping blindly into the other lane again just as the vehicle in it passed her and took Wednesday safely out of the way of the first.

If Wednesday told Enid she couldn’t see the future this time, Enid was going to call her out for the liar she was.

Enid almost moved to press the assault but the augment had been laid flat and with the figure now fully prone on the floor her dad switched to full-auto and emptied the clip where the prone figure lay.

Enid wasn’t stupid enough to get involved in that and so, checking for cars, sprinted over to Wednesday who was talking rapidly to Thing.

‘Where is the third vehicle?’

Krrch…

‘What do you mean you were pushed out of the system?’

‘Wednesday? Are you alright?’

The dark haired girl turned to Enid, face locked in serious mode.

‘Fine. What about you? No symptoms?’

A small desire to jump into the gunfire in order to keep punching but again, Enid had it locked down. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the only thing locked down because as her dad ran out of bullets and had to reload, the figure was getting up again.

‘What the hell…’

‘Android’ Wednesday interrupted.

‘But it’s…’

‘Trying to kill me yes. An expensive and illegal path so probably the only thing it prioritises more than killing me is staying out of records.’

Enid looked around the street and at least five people were leaning out of their windows with phones recording this whole mess.

‘Okay, but how do we kill it?’

Wednesday looked a touch embarrassed.

‘Honestly, I was hoping the vehicle impacts would be enough to disable it. We’re already treading dangerous ground co-opting them. But all we seem to have gotten is a limp.’

Enid’s father must have reloaded at this point but Enid instead heard her mother shouting. Sparing a glance up she saw Esther at the window on the thirty eighth floor looking ready to jump out and slide down the building to intervene.

Enid had a terrible idea.

‘Wednesday, do you think you can trigger my Bloodmoon?’

Wednesday had sunk into herself, barely considering Enid except to automatically respond but that question dragged her right back to the present.

‘Enid…’

‘I’m a hell of a lot stronger that way, and you can always pull me back.’

‘We don’t know that’ Wednesday hissed, not having a better plan. She would have liked to argue but there was almost no time as the android had apparently finished its self-diagnostic and was preparing to come at them again.

‘Wednesday, either we do this or we run. Pick now.’

Wednesday was struck with hesitation. She had not even considered running before Enid brought it up and now it seemed the far more reasonable option. Their opponent did not seem capable of superhuman sprints so diving in a vehicle Thing had captured for them would get them out of this.

But Enid believed she could win this. And Wednesday was darkly curious about this flesh-suited android.

In the end what flipped the coin for Wednesday was that Enid had asked.

‘Are you sure?’ Wednesday asked, needing Enid to confirm. ‘We can run.’

‘I am tired of running,’ Enid growled, a savage grin on her face. ‘Boost me.’

Wednesday allowed her mind to expand, feeling Enid in her grasp like a warm ball of heat. But as she moved to try something neither of them had considered before, her mind flickered. She was no longer doing. She was a helpless observer as a news van sped around the corner, door already open and camera pointed towards them.

She was helpless as Enid charged the android just as it charged back at her.

And she was helpless when the android detonated in a fireball right as it made contact with Enid.

Wednesday flickered back into her own body just as a news van cleared the corner. The android turned its head to confirm the vehicle and looked back to Wednesday. Wednesday neither knew nor understood what had happened but she understood one thing.

Enid was in danger.

Wednesday shoved Enid away, telling her to run but Enid was trying to move behind Wednesday. In desperation Wednesday pushed herself between Enid and the android as some timer clicked down to zero in her head and she tried to shield Enid with her body.

Chapter Text

Enid blinked the flashes from her eyes as she fumbled around. The ringing in her ears were so loud it took her a minute to realise she was even on the ground, and as she tried to rise to her feet her balance was so badly shaken she could not even get up. Apparently even her augmentations had limits.

Over and over Enid struggled to rise, only to fall again, panic only worsening as she remembered what had been happening before she blacked out. They were under attack. They were in danger. Enid had to protect Wednesday.

As though conjured by that thought Enid’s hand encountered something soft and silky. Fumbling fingers found Wednesday’s sleeve and then the rest of her, face down on the ground and bloodied.

Enid tried to assess Wednesday’s condition even though all she could hear was the ringing in her ears and all she could feel were the tremors running through her whole body. As Enid moved to turn Wednesday over strong hands grabbed both of them.

Panic returned some strength to Enid’s limbs as she flailed only at the edge of her hearing to pick out,

‘I’m trying to help you stupid girl’

‘Esther!’ a low rumble.

‘Enid, it’s your mother’ the stern voice cut through the whine in Enid’s ears. ‘Calm down, I’ve got you.’

Enid managed to relax a little as her mother helped her sit up and Enid felt some blood start to drain from her nose and ears.

‘Wednesday’ Enid croaked.

‘She’s fine’ she heard the blurry form of her father answer in clipped tones. He was being short and professional, which was only a little shorter than he normally was.

Enid slumped in her mother’s arms as she heard a vehicle slowly roll up. It sounded like a car and either of her parents could throw a car.

A door clicked open on its own and she heard,

Trill, clunk, churr…

‘What’s wrong with this car?’ her mother asked.

‘It’s Thing’ Enid murmured. ‘He wants you to put us in.’

Ting ting. Dee dee dee de doo doo

‘He’ll take us to the Addams.’

‘What?! No. You need a hospital.’

Enid remembered that her mother’s preferred hospital was run by Crackstone and the idea made her laugh. Which hurt which was probably a bad sign but it was so ridiculous. Oh hello Crackstone, here we are. Weak and delivered.

Enid rolled out of her mother’s grip and stumbled towards the car, turning into a shuffling slump instead of a crawl. She passed Wednesday on the way even as her mother grabbed the back of her shirt, only for the silk to tear in her mother’s hands. Too bad. But the shirt had probably already been a write off.

‘We’re not leaving you!’ her mother insisted.

‘Then come with’ Enid mumbled as her father helped her pull Wednesday into the car. Once Enid was inside the car started moving and Esther and Murray had only a brief moment to decide how to proceed.

They both leapt in the open door as the car sped away.

The journey back to the Addam’s compound was faster than the journey down to the city, mostly because Thing had disabled the speed limits on this car and was puppeteering it down the highway at speeds that had the vehicle losing grip on the road at multiple points.

Enid’s mother cursed the whole way there while Enid’s hearing steadily returned. The sudden restoration of her sense of balance also suggested that some critical part had cracked and then healed on its own, which given what Enid knew of the ear didn’t seem quite right but maybe terrible lethal augmentations had some payoffs to balance out their costs.

When they arrived at the gates to the estate, they were already open and getting to the house through the swamp and forest took less than three minutes.

Enid carried Wednesday to the front door, despite her parents (mostly her mother’s) protests and the door opened before she could knock on it. She wasn’t really surprised to see the whole family in surgical garb waiting. As Lurch gently took Wednesday from Enid she let herself collapse slightly onto Gomez and Morticia. Not fully, as she was still probably too heavy for them, but she let them support her a little as everyone moved swiftly through the mansion.

Enid’s ears picked up her parents following behind and her mother’s continued grumbling.

They blew into a full surgery suite, with tools going all the way back to the eighteenth century shining on the walls but Wednesday was laid on a medical bed under what had to be the most horrifying surgery-bot Enid had ever seen. Its slender limbs had six joints each and it unfolded three dozen of them as it came down like an alien spider.

Wednesday must have thought Enid a total coward when she complained about a basic scan!

‘She’s been unconscious this whole time’ Enid gasped, knowing that was a bad sign.

Wednesday’s body grumbled something and Enid batted at her ear.

‘She said she’s not been unconscious, but talking hurts’ Morticia spoke up, possibly loudly. Enid could have face-palmed if the surgery bot hadn’t just cut open the back of Wednesday’s suit, revealing several points of bleeding where shrapnel had hit her.

The surgery bot moved swiftly and surely, cleaning out wounds and sealing them up with stem-grafts. It even did something in one of Wednesday’s ears, probably to repair hearing and in under fifteen minutes Wednesday was sat up, shirt held to her front and demanding everyone leave the room.

Everyone but Enid.

‘Are you okay’ Wednesday whispered, but with Enid’s diminished hearing it felt so faint she could barely make it out.

‘I thought you were comatose’ Enid sniffled.

‘Hearing damage’ Wednesday answered, looking embarrassed.

‘But you’re psychic!’ Enid whined. ‘Just…’

Wednesday looked abashed.

‘You didn’t think of it did you?’

‘I’m not answering that’ Wednesday pouted.

‘You’re only getting away with this because you just underwent surgery’ Enid smiled, relaxing a little. If Wednesday could feel embarrassed about this it meant she had to be mostly alright.

‘Yes, now your turn’ Wednesday instructed stiffly getting up and gesturing Enid to the bed.

Enid’s eyes immediately darted to the horrifying spider monstrosity above Wednesday which she swore flexed in anticipation. While it had seemed competent and even gentle Enid was unsure…

‘Wednesday…’ she whined. ‘I don’t really…’

‘Hearing damage’ Wednesday stated bluntly. ‘Bed.’

Enid cringed but eventually made her way over. At least Wednesday had sent everyone else out of the room.

And she did stay to hold Enid’s hand.

After the machine was done patching up the very minor damage, which it noted had already mostly been repaired by some other mechanism, Enid and Wednesday went back out to check on the rest of the families. The Addams were welcoming the Sinclairs with all warmth and charm while Esther was behaving like a spooked cat and Murray stiffly uncomfortable.

While it could be understood perhaps, given what precisely they were offering in the way of snacks and the wall of piranhas clearly enjoying the bone of some large animal, it did not thrill either of them to be here.

Once Wednesday confirmed with her family that the Sinclairs could stay in guest quarters if they wished, she appraised her parents of the situation. The Addams were of course delighted that someone had developed a completely illegal terminator to chase down their daughter while Enid’s own parents were somewhat more concerned.

Enid told herself that was why they decided to stay, despite their clear discomfort, and she gave them both a hug for it. Her father whispered how he had seen her fighting and he was so proud, although he whispered so that her mother would not hear. That was okay though. Enid’s mother could be so… picky about certain things.

When that conversation was over it was time for dinner and Wednesday immediately insisted she and Enid be excused to rest. Wednesday roundly ignored Esther’s objections and pulled Enid away and Enid did not fight too hard against it.

Hopefully the Addams could soften Esther up a little.

Once they were in the bedroom and Wednesday had locked the door Enid finally relaxed. Wednesday lit a few candles and set some music going as Enid undressed and then started massaging Enid’s back. Enid relaxed into it with a shiver, although it did seem unusual for Wednesday.

Then Wednesday bit Enid’s shoulder and she realised Wednesday’s actual motivations.

‘Really? Now?’

‘You just fought a robot to death for me, mia lupa.’ Wednesday growled, biting Enid’s neck again and eliciting a gasp. ‘You’re lucky I waited this long.’

Wednesday awoke in the middle of the night to a calling. It was… different, but familiar. She had introspected much on what her “powers” might have detected in the past. Her innate distrust of people, predictive abilities in space and combat, a sense of communion with certain forms of life while others repulsed her.

But this was not the buzz of the arthropoda or the grind of electromagnetic fields. This was like a song calling to her blood.

She rose from the bed with a shiver, tucking Enid in with the loosened covers. How impatient she had been to ditch Enid’s blasted parents. But she had maintained decorum and they now held guest privileges. Hopefully not for too long though.

Satisfied that Enid was secure she found some things to wear. A comfy sweater and a skirt that went to mid-calf. Pulling on some socks and patent leather shoes she wandered into the house, letting her instincts guide her.

They did not take her on a direct route, as she passed through corridors and hallways that swallowed her footsteps in the dark. She was led past Pugsley’s lab where a contraption lay visible on his workbench. He had wanted her to look at it hadn’t he?

She wandered past Cleopatra and the seedling it had spawned through some unknown mechanism. The seedling was kept safely away from its progenitor that kept trying to reabsorb the creature, not recognising it now had a life of its own.

She was led past the guest rooms where she sensed occupancy. Esther and Murray… but not sharing a bed? Was she being invited to kill Esther?

The calling tugged again and Wednesday rolled her eyes. Apparently not.

Around and around, she wandered until she found herself climbing the stairs to Grandmama’s room although she did not remember using the secret door. Interesting.

‘You’re a weird kid, you know that’ Grandmama cackled as Wednesday entered without knocking. The old witch was at a workbench, welding goggles over her eyes as she set down her tools. Even dying she knew how to cast a long shadow.

‘I prefer kooky’ Wednesday answered evenly. ‘You called?’

‘I did’ Grandmama smiled evilly, exposing crooked teeth but saying no more.

‘How did you call me?’ Wednesday asked.

Grandmama just smirked and cocked her head, wiggling her eyebrows.

‘The brain configuration stigma?’ Wednesday hazarded a guess. Grandmama rolled her eyes and threw her hands up, disgusted.

‘We are not calling it that’ she insisted. She grabbed a cane and struggled up to her feet, allowing Wednesday to help when the dark haired girl rushed in. ‘What about “the Witching”’

‘Absolutely not’ Wednesday smiled, helping Grandmama to a wing-back armchair that had not been here the day before. Grandmama relaxed back into it, the back of the chair cracking sharply and dropping her into a more reclined posture. Wednesday considered the woman before offering, ‘How about nu-spectrum entanglement?’

‘The Craft!’

‘You love that movie too much’ Wednesday sighed, perching on a pile of books across from Grandmama. A comfortable silence fell between them as Wednesday waited for the old witch to gather her thoughts. She cracked her senses open just a bit to find that her grandmama was less drawing in and more pushing out in a constant stream of forces.

‘Do you hear it too?’ Wednesday asked.

‘Nope. Not a lick’ Grandmama cackled. ‘Although I think your mother might. Not in a way she recognises, but she’s too damned sensitive. Always getting pulled along by others.’

‘Others like your son’ Wednesday pointed out.

‘Well of course’ Grandmama grinned. ‘But he’s a good boy so it’s fine.’

‘And what do you do?’ Wednesday asked.

‘Why I make things happen. I wish it, I will it, a little nudge here or there…’

‘Any proof?’ Wednesday asked.

‘None that would satisfy you, you filthy little sceptic,’ Grandmama grinned. Wednesday smiled too. ‘No, I’ve lived my life the way I liked it, but too many coincidental good fortunes. I look back on it and wonder how I got away with half the hell I raised.’

‘You have your family’ Wednesday answered, feeling a warmth.

‘Aye, and so do you. But you’ve been making bigger waves and I’m not so sure you’re ready for the trough.’

Wednesday considered.

‘I don’t mean to trouble the fam…’

‘Oh pish, that’s what they’re for’ Grandmama cackled. ‘I was just curious if you actually had something. And whether we truly matched.’

‘I’m your granddaughter’ Wednesday answered simply. Grandmama nodded and held out her hand. Wednesday took it and felt the papery skin, almost ashy now. The woman had truly seemed immortal once. Ageless in that she was already so old, how could she get any older? Well, there was the answer. She wouldn’t.

‘But you were always so cautious. And now you’re making all these big splashes. Is she really that important to you?’

Wednesday was not offended by the question. It was just ritual. She could feel Grandmama’s approval. It mattered more than maybe it should but she was glad of it.

‘She means the world… the universe… everything to me.’

‘You love her?’

‘I love her’ Wednesday stated. What more need be said.

‘Then you should really put a ring on it’ Grandmama grinned and opened her other hand. What she had been working on at the workbench, now cooled in her old hand. A gold ring, thirteen tiny diamonds around a large central black diamond.

Wednesday had never seen its like anywhere else but then there didn’t need to be another. This was one of three engagement rings, for the main line of Addams. Grandmama would have had Lurch dig up her mother and take the ring off the corpse’s finger earlier today. She must have been resizing it.

Wednesday took it reverently.

‘Wasn’t sure you would ever ask for it’ Grandmama admitted. ‘Nothing wrong with that of course. I certainly didn’t use it.’

‘You did alright’ Wednesday answered happily examining the ring band as Grandmama cackled. ‘Will it be alright? Enid’s finger changes size when she’s stressed.’

‘Should be flexible enough’ Grandmama scratched at her chin. ‘Although I’ve never had to make a ring for a shapeshifter before. Of course, Itt was the worst.’

Wednesday privately agreed. You couldn’t even see Itt’s ring under the fur.

‘Thank you Grandmama’

‘Of course Black-heart’ Grandmama smiled, relaxing into warmth, not needing to joke about this. ‘Just make sure Thing is there when you do it. I want video.’

Wednesday scowled but was interrupted by a shuffling on the workbench. Looking over she did crack a smile. Thing was back in the house.